EDITORS’ NOTE

Within Corvias Group, Michael De La Rosa provides strategic direction and oversees all operational responsibility. Since joining Corvias in 2002, he has worked alongside his partners, John Picerne and Janet Colantuono, to develop the highly successful Corvias Military Living, Corvias Solutions, and Corvias Campus Living. He excels at turning vision into reality and creating a culture of high performance. As part of his 23 years’ experience in the industry, De La Rosa helped develop the first pilot programs for the United States Army’s Residential Communities Initiative, which established the privatized housing model for the U.S. Army and Air Force in use today.

Company Brief

Corvias Group (corvias.com) is a privately owned company that strives to tackle complex, large-scale challenges through trusted partnerships that put client interests first, producing sustainable long-term solutions by focusing more on performance than profit. The company works on behalf of the U.S. military, and public and private higher education institutions, as well as municipal and state governments to develop tailored solutions for many of the nation’s most challenging infrastructure deficiencies caused by chronic underinvestment. Their mission is to materially improve the lives of the people their projects touch. Corvias Group is headquartered in East Greenwich, Rhode Island.

How critical is innovation to your continued growth and success?

Innovation is a critical element of our company’s mission and innate character. It’s what motivates us to be cutting-edge, unique, and continually ahead of the curve for our customers. As established industry pioneers, we never want to complacently rely upon the legacy we’ve created over time; rather, we want to encourage the forward-thinking, solutions-oriented creativity that has solidified our position as an industry leader since our inception.

One of our core priorities is identifying new, revolutionary ways to serve those with whom we work, as well as reevaluating current practices and infusing fresh energy into even the most successful aspects of our business. At every level of our company, employees seek transparent feedback from customers, partners, and one another, which creates professional relationships built upon open communication and reflective dialogue. These partnerships, and our company’s pervasive desire to improve our business strategies, set an exceptionally high standard to which we hold ourselves accountable. As a result, we strive and challenge ourselves to meet the expectations of others, and ourselves, in the most groundbreaking, inventive manner possible.

What inspires you on a daily basis?

Corvias is a people-oriented business. If we create an innovative, inspiring, and challenging workplace and are proud of how we manage and collaborate with our employees, that resultant sense of pride directly correlates with how well we serve our customers. We earnestly strive to formulate long-term solutions that satisfy clients’ business objectives, while devoting the same amount of high-level attention to our employees.

It’s also inspiring to help create a business model that is authentically Corvias and reflects the company’s core principles and mission, while highlighting our deeply rooted desire to enact monumental change and grant employees stimulating opportunities. Corvias’ dedication to high-level thinking and drive to provide employees with inspirational work is what propels this company forward and motivates me every day.

What makes this such an exciting time for the company?

Corvias is currently undergoing significant growth and tremendous expansion. Rather than resting upon the outstanding success of our military portfolio, we consciously and strategically decided to share our beneficial partnership model with other companies, institutions, and municipalities.

This isn’t a simple task. It requires us to thoughtfully understand what partnership strategies and business practices allowed us to be successful in the past and how such qualities can be redesigned to meet future needs and expectations. As part of this inherent growth period, 2015 was a year of educating clients in the higher education, environmental, and municipal communities on how integrated and multifaceted our partnerships can be. While challenging, the opportunity to transform new sectors through innovative partnerships has proven to be substantially rewarding and equally exciting as we continue to look into the future.•