Guidance to Success

The Leadership Journey of Multi-program Participant Josue Velney

By ICIC | September 16, 2024

Josue Velney is the founder and CEO of Velney Development, LLC. Velney’s journey is a testament to the transformative power of entrepreneurship. A former Marine who served three deployments over five years, Velney returned home to serve his community as a Somerville firefighter and lieutenant for 12 years. Today, as a retired firefighter and full-time real estate developer, Velney holds a bachelor’s degree in construction management from Wentworth Institute of Technology and is a licensed unrestricted construction supervisor.

His military background has shaped his leadership skills, and he has seamlessly applied them to real estate development. Velney’s commitment is clear—he envisions improving his community through strategic and impactful real estate projects. With a rental portfolio spanning Somerville, Medford, Boston, and neighboring cities, Velney’s influence extends far beyond his business endeavors.

It was his commitment to excellence, growth, and giving back that led Velney to ICIC. In 2023, he was introduced to the Inner City Capital Connections (ICCC) program. ICCC is a tuition-free, comprehensive, 40-hour “mini-MBA” program specifically designed to empower entrepreneurs in under-resourced communities by providing them with advanced education, actionable insights, networking, and personalized coaching. When graduating from the program, he expressed, “I needed to grow, and I’m indebted to my SCORE mentors for everything they taught me and all the help they gave me in business development and human resources.” At the 2023 ICIC Annual Conference Velney shared his high level of confidence in the training, education, coaching, and mentoring he received in the program and his expectation that it would cause his business to double in 2024.

Building an Alliance

Since the event, Velney has gone on to continue sharpening his business skills by joining the 2024 national cohort of ICIC’s Building for Growth (BFG) program, a national, online, tuition-free executive education program that helps primarily BIPOC-, woman-, and veteran-owned construction contractors build capacity and develop sustainable growth strategies. Velney’s hard work, military experience, formal education, executive training, and optimistic expectations combined to yield an exceptional result. In August of 2024, Callahan Construction Managers, a full-service construction management company headquartered in Bridgewater, Massachusetts, announced its strategic alliance with Velney Construction. The collaboration is part of Callahan’s ongoing diversity and inclusion initiative to equip local minority-, women-, and Section 3-owned trade partners with the tools and resources necessary to compete for contracts in affordable housing and other key construction sectors.

When sharing the news of the partnership with his BFG classmates, Velney emphasized the patience he practiced as the collaboration unfolded, allowing the relationship to develop over time before making a final commitment–a principle taught in the class. He states,

“I am grateful to be part of the ICIC family, and this would not be possible without ICIC’s support. Iron sharpens iron, which is precisely what we get from the BGF program.”

Velney’s unwavering commitment and optimism created paths to significant accomplishments in the military and as a firefighter. Every step of the way, he relied on the guidance provided by expert trainers to steer him toward success. Now, he’s applying that same strategy to business ownership, and the results speak for themselves.

About ICCC

Inner City Capital Connections (ICCC) is a tuition-free executive leadership training program designed by ICIC to help business owners in under-resourced communities build capacity for sustainable growth in revenue, profitability, and employment. ICCC is uniquely designed to provide three critical elements for sustainable growth: capacity-building education, one-on-one coaching, and connections to capital and capital providers. ICCC annually hosts in-person and virtual cohorts across the U.S. and Canada.

To learn more and apply visit icic.org/iccc.

About Building for Growth

ICIC’s Building for Growth (BFG) is a national, online, executive education program that helps primarily BIPOC-, woman-, and veteran-owned construction contractors build capacity and develop sustainable growth strategies that position their businesses to increase profits. BFG combines 18 online weekly classes, dedicated technical assistance, and long-term mentorship to successfully scale construction businesses. The program was launched in 2022 and has helped more than 160 companies across 29 states, of which 85% were BIPOC-owned, 62% were woman-owned, and 11% were veteran-owned.

Learn more about BFG and apply for upcoming cohorts at icic.org/bfg.