EDITORS’ NOTE

Janet Colantuono wears many hats at Corvias – from serving as a driving force behind the company’s vision to championing the Corvias culture of caring. As Chief Strategy Officer, she is responsible for leading the development and execution of the company’s path forward. Since joining the company in 2002, Colantuono has worked alongside her partners, John Picerne and Michael De La Rosa, to develop all aspects of the business. As the leader of Corvias’ strategic support services, she also offers foresight, innovation, and expertise within the areas of communications, interior and exterior design, human resources, and information technology.

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 would you describe Corvias’ culture around community engagement?

Corvias was founded on the desire and passion to give back to the organizations that support our service members and their families. Through the work that we do, we identified the many ways in which we can help support our troops, such as hiring veterans and their family members, especially given that they face unique roadblocks to employment such as permanent change of station (PCS), or providing resources. When we started supporting the military, there were so many tentacles to help the community at large and it was a natural progression to expanding the way we help the local communities in which we operate, such as by organizing a clean-up project or sponsoring a run for charity. When we described to employees how we really wanted to make a difference, they ran with that mindset more than we could have imagined. Our employees amaze me on a daily basis because they continue to come up with new ways to help locally, such as rebuilding old bikes for kids, hosting food pantries, volunteering at local shelters, and lending their time to support the less privileged over holidays. Because our partnerships are long-term, our employees get a genuine sense of being part of the community. The residents are our neighbors and friends. We truly are a company that cares, which is why I’m so fortunate to be a part of something special here.

What is the most rewarding part of your job?

There is no better feeling than seeing the excitement on our customers’ faces and hearing the enthusiasm in their voices when everything comes to fruition. Second, I thoroughly enjoy the interactions and collaboration with my coworkers. We have fought together and fallen together, but all of this collaboration makes our work product that much better.

What do you want people to most understand about Corvias?

The great people that we hire and the incredible work that we do with our partners. One of the most satisfying experiences for me was when we first took over an entire portfolio of schools within the University System of Georgia (nine campuses spread across the state) and we had to hire many new staff. This would typically be a challenging endeavor to properly integrate everyone into the culture, but we were able to do it seamlessly because of our hiring process. Our employees are excited to go to work every day in a place that truly cares about the work and why it gets done. One story I like to share is that of Sharon Reed, a new employee, who just received the Custodial Staff Member of the Year Award voted in by the Georgia State students. It’s the first time anyone outside of the school system was given this award. The stories people like Sharon tell about their passion for the partnership and interaction with the students are the same ones you hear from our service members about the work they do. Providing the best possible academic environment for the future leaders of this world cannot be underestimated. I’ve been working here for 14 years and to see the incredible retention rate that we have is extraordinary.•