(Editor’s note: This is the 18th installment in a monthly series speaking with minority business owners and leaders. Each will be asked their views on minority-business conditions in the state and for ways to improve those businesses’ chances for success. You can find previous installments here.)
Jhonny Leyva never had a doubt that he wanted to be a painting contractor just like his father.
There was something about the strange-looking tools and the smell of the paints that the elder Leyva used to coat the houses he worked on. And there was something about completing an honest day’s work that appealed to a young Jhonny Leyva.
So when the chance came, father and son banded together to start a painting contracting business in 2007, shortly after the younger Leyva graduated from Bryant University with a degree in business administration.
Now Jhonny Leyva is owner and president of Providence-based Heroica Construction Inc. The company started out with small residential painting contracts then expanded into general contracting, landing bigger construction jobs with Brown University, Johnson & Wales University and Rhode Island School of Design.
In 2021, the company landed its largest contract to date, a $2 million job refurbishing Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority train facilities in the Boston metro area.
“It was a grand slam,” Leyva said.
The journey hasn’t been easy.
Leyva was born in Cartagena, Colombia, and his family moved to Rhode Island in 1992 when he was 8. His parents didn’t speak English when they arrived.
“I saw them struggling, as they tried to achieve the American dream,” Leyva recalled. “So I didn’t want to disappoint them.”
Even after launching Heroica – derived from the “Heroic City” moniker given to Cartagena after a siege by the Spanish in 1815 – the struggle continued, as the fledgling business owner was passed over for many jobs.
“It’s a really tough industry to break into because people tend to use the same contractors,” he said. “It takes discipline and perseverance more than anything else to make it, and to not give up.”
There were also the challenges associated with being Latino.
“There is prejudice that you see and feel, but I don’t let that get to me,” he said. “At the end of the day, it’s about capitalism, so I try to keep my nose down and keep pushing.”
Leyva gives back by teaching construction to youths in the community while serving as president of the Black Contractors Association of Rhode Island for the past five years. He’s also on the board of the Rhode Island Builders Association.
He shares his personal journey, staying focused on achieving his dream, while dealing with adversity and discrimination.
“There are a lot of opportunities, and I want the kids to know that, especially if they don’t want to, or can’t, go to college,” he said. “I tell them it’s not easy. It takes lots of perseverance, and the right attitude.”
1. Do you believe racism is keeping minorities from starting businesses in the Ocean State or succeeding when they do? There is racism, but I’m trying to move past that, as I think some people will work with contractors they worked with in the past. They say if they have been working with a contractor for 30 years, why am I going to work with you. That’s the kind of discussion I’ve had. Then I wonder if it’s racism. That’s why I got involved in the industry by serving on boards like the Rhode Island Builders Association board, and Black Contractors Association. That way you start building relationships and the doors start opening. Does a barrier exist? Yes, it does, but there are ways to break through and get around it.
2. How dependent is your business on the support of other minority groups? Is that a sustainable business model? I don’t depend on any minority group. I am involved with them by giving back, but I don’t depend on any minority groups for support. There are none that do the type of work that I do. From my experience, there are none that would work on, say, a $30 million contract, where my company would come in and work for $2 million.
3. What one thing could Rhode Island do to boost the odds for minority-owned business success? There are many things. One of them would be pushing state government to enforce the current laws that exist in support of minority business owners. They need to do more to support minority contractors by awarding projects properly. The state has issued too many waivers for businesses that aren’t in a minority-owned category. People want to do work with who they know, and I understand that that’s business, but it is unfair to minority contractors. It has happened to me, where I felt I should have had more opportunities. I don’t think there should be any waivers. Or they should give certain percentages to each minority race category so that everybody gets their fair share of projects.
4. Have you had to turn to an entity other than a bank for a loan? Do you believe the state’s lending institutions generally treat minorities fairly? I only work with banks. I’ve also had the [U.S.] Small Business Administration guarantee my loans. So, I have used the federal side, not the state side for financing purposes to guarantee my loans. They guarantee so that banks feel more comfortable lending to me. You work through the process of getting a loan. I think my first loan was for about $10,000 from Washington Trust. Then I went to another bank, and they gave me $35,000. Then I got the SBA guarantee, and then the loan was increased by the bank to $100,000. Now, another bank, Bristol County [Savings Bank], just gave me $250,000. So, over the years I have built it up. But the SBA is helpful with their guarantees.
5. If another minority entrepreneur asked you where they could turn for support for their business, where would you direct them? I am involved in this way with the Rhode Island Builders Association, and the Black Contractors Association. I have served as a mentor to aspiring business owners. I have worked with some smaller-business owners, guiding them through the process of being a contractor. I help more on the business side, rather than in the field. I don’t advise carpenters or laborers too much. My help is guided more toward business owners.
Cassius Shuman is a PBN staff writer. Email him at Shuman@PBN.com.
