John Picerne founded Corvias in 1998 and now serves as chairman of the company’s board of advisors. Over the course of nearly three decades, he has built a successful company that provides housing, infrastructure, property management, and development solutions for both private and public sector clients, with a particular focus on military. Corvias has developed and managed 42 million square feet of real estate and managed more than 87,000 beds. Under John Picerne’s leadership, the company has succeeded in maintaining mutually beneficial partnerships that create sustainable solutions to systemic social challenges.
Corvias maintains a community-focused culture that encourages employees to give back in a wide variety of ways, including donating thousands of hours of community service each year. This commitment to community reflects John Picerne’s personal ethos of giving back, which is exemplified in the Corvias Foundation, which he founded in 2006. Since then, the foundation has awarded more than $15 million worth of scholarships and grants to students working toward higher education and career goals, with a focus on supporting military-connected students. The foundation also supports community programs and a wide range of charitable organizations throughout the U.S.
John Picerne is a Rhode Island resident, where he lives with his family. He is an active member of the Rhode Island community, having previously served on the board of the Newport Preservation Society, which he continues to support generously. He has also served as a member of the Gordon School Board of Directors and the Governor’s Council for Environmental Impact, as well as a past president of the Rhode Island Business Association. In his free time, Mr. Picerne enjoys spending time with his wife and daughters, playing golf, traveling, and exploring global cuisine.
What is your typical day, and how do you make it productive?
Exercise in the morning, breakfast with my wife/family, execute meetings midday, read books, articles in between, and spend afternoons with my family or golfing if time allows.
How do you bring ideas to life?
Work collaboratively with those around me – C-Suite, Board of Advisors, Family, to execute my ideas.
What’s one trend that excites you?
I’m curious to see how far AI takes us as a society. The good and the bad have yet to reveal themselves as the concept is still being rolled out to the average person.
What is one habit that helps you be productive?
Being disciplined about exercise definitely helps my mental clarity.
What advice would you give your younger self?
Stay the course. The path may be long and challenging, but you will eventually get there.
What is the one thing you repeatedly do and recommend everyone else do?
Read and exercise.
When you feel overwhelmed or unfocused, what do you do?
Golf.
What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business or advance in your career?
Keeping my entrepreneurial mind sharp has helped me work collaboratively with my colleagues in executing my vision. By strategizing with those who know me best, ideas are able to come to life better than I could have ever imagined on my own.
What is one failure in your career, how did you overcome it, and what lessons did you take away from it?
Not recognizing a problem with a business partner sooner than I should have. We returned to the beginning and started from scratch. Fixing our mistakes together and learning at the same time that we cannot let our projects become status quo.
What is one piece of software that helps you be productive? How do you use it?
Everything iPhone! I can operate my business from the palm of my hand, no matter where I am in the world. I use it for all communication and continue to learn how to use the latest and greatest apps, to stay relevant and up to date.
Do you have a favorite book or podcast you’ve gotten a ton of value from and why?
The Go Giver. It is timeless in terms of teaching newcomers about business, particularly my business.
What’s a movie or series you recently enjoyed and why?
White Lotus – The human interest and redemption of it all.
Key learnings
- Bringing ideas to life that will advance any business requires collaboration with trusted advisors.
- The key to mental clarity requires discipline of mind and body.
- Failures are where we learn the most and find the biggest growth.