From Teacher to Turner: How One NYC Educator Built a $1.5M Construction Empire

In 2019, Bernardo Flores made what seemed like an impossible leap. A 29-year education veteran from The Bronx who "didn't even know the construction jargon" was about to discover that sometimes the biggest risks lead to the most extraordinary transformations.

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RECENT UPDATES

Simple Step, Serious Value: Why Certified Firms Should Claim Their Tough Leaf Profile Today

Many people grow up hearing that to get anything of value, you must work hard. This is a valuable life lesson, but sometimes things can be more easily acquired and still be useful. The latter is the case for certified small and certified firms when it comes to claiming their Tough Leaf profile. 

20th May 2025

Tough Leaf

Why Small Contractors Struggle with HR Compliance (And How to Fix It)

Small and certified businesses working with prime contractors face a unique challenge: balancing growth opportunities while maintaining strict HR compliance requirements that can feel overwhelming.

15th May 2025

Tough Leaf

From Hard Hats to High Rises: How Bonanza Contracting Built Success from the Ground Up

In the competitive world of New York City construction, success stories like Bonanza Contracting don't happen overnight. This minority-owned business, founded by brothers Lateef and Cyril Belfor, represents the perfect blend of early hands-on experience, determination, and strategic partnership.

22nd April 2025

Tough Leaf

Building Trust and Authenticity in Construction: More Than Just Concrete and Steel

In construction, you can have the best equipment, the most detailed plans, and a stellar crew - but without trust, the whole thing can come crashing down faster than a poorly supported beam.

17th April 2025

Tough Leaf

New Administration, New Rules: Key Takeaways From Our Construction Compliance Webinar

Listen to experts from Tough Leaf, LSN Partners, and Greenberg Traurig for a discussion on the changing landscape of construction compliance under the new administration.

17th April 2025

Tough Leaf

Expand Your Pool of Certified Subcontractors and Boost Your Business

Working with a variety of certified subcontractors gives you a window into how each one approaches challenges/situations. Different collaborations can spark new alternative approaches.

17th April 2025

Tough Leaf

Meet Tough Leaf on the Road: Your Guide to Our 2025 Events

This year, we're bringing Tough Leaf to some of the industry's most impactful conferences and conventions. Whether you're a longtime partner or just getting to know us, these events offer perfect opportunities to connect, learn, and explore how Tough Leaf is helping GC’s get a competitive edge with their bids.

13th January 2025

Tough Leaf

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Construction Industry Progress and Market-Wide Impact

As we dive into 2025, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) are more than buzzwords - they're essential for the growth and success of businesses everywhere. One industry showing significant progress is construction, where DEI principles are making a noticeable impact on projects and company growth.

8th January 2025

Tough Leaf

Introducing Tough Leaf ClearSpend: A Smarter Way to Simplify Compliance and Track Small and Diverse Firm Spending

In today’s construction environment, companies face growing pressure to meet small and diverse spending goals to ensure compliance with Federal, State, and Local regulations. For Prime Contractors, this means accurately tracking and reporting spending with certified small, local, and diverse firms. However, the process of managing these requirements is often complex and time-consuming, with data scattered across multiple systems and sources.

16th December 2024

Tough Leaf

Mastering HR Compliance: A Small Business Guide to Staying Ahead

When it comes to running a small business, HR compliance might not be the flashiest topic on your radar—but it’s certainly one of the most important. With evolving federal, state, and local regulations, even the smallest misstep can lead to lawsuits, penalties, and unnecessary headaches. So, how can small businesses stay compliant, foster a positive work environment, and avoid costly mistakes?

9th December 2024

Tough Leaf

Why You Should Watch Wissam Akra’s Autodesk University Session

In the construction industry, supplier diversity isn't just a nice-to-have—it’s a must-have for compliance, competitiveness, and community impact. If you're a general contractor, construction manager, or a decision-maker in the field, Wissam Akra's Autodesk University 2024 session, “Overcoming the Project Diversity Dilemma: AI-Powered Solutions for Optimizing Diverse Subcontractor Sourcing”, is a game-changer. Here's why you should hit "play" on this insightful session.

3rd December 2024

Tough Leaf

Best Practices for Vetting Small and Diverse Subcontractors: A Guide for General Contractors

Since its founding in 2021, Tough Leaf has vetted over 67,000 small and diverse firms, helping general contractors meet participation goals on their construction projects. With extensive experience evaluating certified small, local, and diverse subcontractors, we’ve learned the best practices for identifying the right partners. The key strategies remain the same whether you're looking for certified WBE, SBE, MBE, SDVOB, or DBE firms.

18th November 2024

Tough Leaf

Property Tax Savings with New York’s 485-x Program

Imagine saving 20 years’ worth of property taxes on your next development. That’s the level of savings possible with New York’s 485-x Real Property Tax Law, or the Affordable Neighborhoods for New Yorkers (ANNY) program. This landmark program offers substantial tax breaks for developers who commit to building affordable housing in New York City while meeting key requirements in affordability, wage standards and MWBE (Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprises) participation

8th November 2024

Tough Leaf

HR Business Masterclass Series Recap:

Tough Leaf recently partnered with Heartland, our capacity-building partner that offers HR and payroll solutions to launch our Business Masterclass Series. This three-part series focuses on one of the most significant transitions you’ll make: evolving from a business owner to an employer. We’ll guide you through protecting your business with smart outsourcing decisions and compliance best practices.

30th October 2024

Tough Leaf

Press Release: Tough Leaf CEO Wissam Akra Shares on Expanding Access to Small, Local, and Diverse Subcontractors in the Construction Industry on New to the Street

On the heels of raising $4.5 million in early stage venture funding, Wissam Akra, Founder and CEO of Tough Leaf, will appear on New to the Street to share the story behind the company’s founding and how it is transforming diverse firm bid procurement and compliance. Tough Leaf has established itself as the leading platform to connect general contractors with top-tier, certified diverse, local, and small businesses. This latest funding round, supported by Reformation, AlleyCorp, and Stellifi, is a testament to the platform’s growing impact in the construction sector.

23rd October 2024

Tough Leaf

Tough Leaf Named a Top Company in the 2024 Construction Executive Magazine’s Top Construction Technology Firms™ List

We’re proud to announce that Tough Leaf has been recognized as a top company in the Preconstruction category of the 2024 Construction Executive Magazine’s Top Construction Technology Firms™. This annual list shines a spotlight on the most innovative technology firms serving the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) sectors, and we’re honored to be included among such influential industry leaders.

23rd October 2024

Tough Leaf

Catch Wissam Akra on Precon Geeks: How Tough Leaf is Revolutionizing Subcontractor Sourcing for Preconstruction Managers

At Tough Leaf, we're passionate about helping companies win more projects by streamlining the preconstruction process while fostering diversity and inclusion in the industry. That’s why we’re excited to share our founder and CEO Wissam Akra’s recent interview on Precon Geeks, where he dives deep into the value Tough Leaf brings to preconstruction teams.

21st October 2024

Tough Leaf

How Tough Leaf Supports Certified Small and Diverse Firms with Free Resources for Government Contracting

At Tough Leaf, we’re committed to amplifying free resources that will help our community of certified small and diverse firms thrive. Whenever a member of our extended network of organizational partners has something valuable to share, we’re eager to spread the word.

30th September 2024

Tough Leaf

How Tough Leaf Turns Compliance Challenges into Growth Opportunities

Wissam Akra recently appeared on The B2B Growth Blueprint podcast with Mark Osborne to discuss how regulatory changes created a market opportunity for Tough Leaf and how we help contractors meet diversity requirements. Wissam shared that, initially, these diversity goals were optional, but over time they became mandates with severe penalties for failure. This gap in the market inspired Tough Leaf’s data-driven platform, which matches contractors with diverse businesses and ensures compliance, providing multiple bids to foster competition and cost-efficiency.

26th September 2024

Tough Leaf

Tough Leaf Founder & CEO Wissam Akra Featured in Crain’s New York for Empowering Small and Diverse Construction Firms

We are excited to announce that Tough Leaf and our Founder & CEO, Wissam Akra, have been featured in Crain’s New York, highlighting our work to empower small, minority, and women-owned businesses (MWBEs) in the construction industry. The article, titled "This Midtown Startup is Leveling the Field for MWBE Construction Firms," explores the challenges that Wissam faced during his tenure at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which inspired the creation of Tough Leaf.

26th September 2024

Tough Leaf

Advanced Bidding Strategies for Small and Diverse Subcontractors: Key Takeaways from Our Webinar

Last month, Tough Leaf and Procore teamed up to host the second installment of our “Futureproof Your Business” series of webinars. These sessions are designed to help owners of small, local, and diverse construction firms embrace emerging technology. This time, we focused on how digitization is transforming the bidding process.

19th September 2024

Tough Leaf

Prioritizing Diverse Spend with Small and Disadvantaged Businesses

Incorporating small and disadvantaged businesses into your project isn’t just the right thing to do—it's a strategic business advantage. These businesses, often defined as small, local, minority-owned, women-owned, veteran-owned, and other enterprises that have historically and statistically been underutilized, are crucial to the success of your project. By working with these businesses, contractors not only drive community impact but also unlock substantial financial and reputational rewards. Strengthening relationships with these subcontractors enhances competitiveness, drives innovation, and secures more lucrative contracts. In this article, we'll explore the financial benefits of prioritizing small and disadvantaged businesses in your supply chain and provide actionable tips on meeting and exceeding your spending goals with these partners.

9th September 2024

Tough Leaf

Understanding the Difference Between 1099 and W-2: Your Guide to Mastering Worker Classification

It’s go time. You’ve set your objectives. Mapped out your strategy. The only things left to do are find the people who can help you achieve your goals and set them to work. The good news is that you have options. You don’t necessarily have to go the traditional — and potentially time-consuming — route by hiring employees. Bringing on 1099 workers could be a better fit.

21st August 2024

Heartland

Webinar Recap: Boost Your Construction Business Finances with Early Pay Programs (EPPs)

Subcontractors in the construction industry often struggle with consistent cash flow due to delayed payments from general contractors (GCs). This financial strain can hamper growth and limit their ability to pursue new project opportunities. To address this issue, Tough Leaf hosted a webinar featuring Courtney Reiman and Derek Knutty,  EPP Specialists from Constrafor, to focus on how Early Pay Programs (EPPs) can transform subcontractors' financial management and support business growth. 

9th August 2024

Tough Leaf

A Happy Outcome for JRM Construction

JRM Construction Management, one of the top general contracting and construction management firms in the United States, regularly collaborates with Tough Leaf to meet the DEI requirements of their most important projects. We're especially proud of our work helping JRM meet the 25% diverse firm requirement for the $3 billion headquarters of one of the world’s largest financial institutions. Here's what happened:

12th June 2024

Tough Leaf

Wissam Akra is a Special Guest on the Latest Specified Podcast!

In the latest episode of the specified podcast, host Tatsuya “Tats” Nakagawa interviews Tough Leaf’s founder and CEO, Wissam Akra, about his journey from being a civil engineer to the founder of a construction tech startup.

28th May 2024

Tough Leaf

Highlights from Tough Leaf’s Webinar: Using AI to Find Diverse Subcontractors

Achieving project diversity goals has become a critical imperative for general contractors, driven by escalating compliance requirements and the industry-wide push towards environmental, social, and governance (ESG) initiatives. However, the traditional approach to procuring bids from qualified certified diverse subcontractors is plagued by inefficiencies, inaccurate data, and limited outreach, impeding contractors' ability to meet targets and capitalize on the cost-saving benefits of increased competition.

8th May 2024

Tough Leaf

Advancing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Construction:

On April 17th, Tough Leaf, the National Association of Women in Construction Greater New York Chapter (NAWIC GNY), and the Queens Chamber of Commerce collaborated to host Building Inclusivity 2024: A Construction Industry DEI Summit. This dynamic half-day event brought together DEI leaders in the construction industry for engaging panel discussions and interactive workshops, on fostering a more inclusive environment on job sites and in offices. Let's delve into some key takeaways from this insightful gathering.

29th April 2024

Tough Leaf

How the City of New Rochelle Streamlined & Strengthened Its Diverse Supplier Program

The story of a pioneering collaboration The story of a pioneering collaboration between a mission-driven construction technology company and a forward-thinking local government.

10th April 2024

Tough Leaf

Impactful Bids That Lead To Successful Projects

When Restani Construction Corp. won the New York State Department's project to build four bridges in Westchester Country, they partnered with Tough Leaf to help them quickly meet the 20% DBE participation requirement.

4th April 2024

Tough Leaf

How Tough Leaf Helped Quality Wet Paint, LLC Win a Major Museum Contract

Quality Wet Paint, LLC found success with Tough Leaf, a platform offering certified small, local, and diverse subcontractors free access to relevant bidding opportunities. Initially skeptical, the President of Quality Wet Paint, LLC., Bernardo Flores, Ph.D. was intrigued by Tough Leaf's promise to connect him directly with prime contractors without a fee. With Tough Leaf's help, Bernardo secured a painting project at a local museum, navigating complexities like prevailing wages. Unlike other companies, Tough Leaf operates on a no-cost model for diverse subcontractors, Quality Wet Paint, LLC's experience showcases Tough Leaf's role in leveling the playing field for small businesses and fostering growth in a competitive market.

14th March 2024

Tough Leaf

Celebrating Women Leaders in Construction: Stories from Two Women-Owned Firms in the Tough Leaf Community

In honor of Women in Construction Week 2024, Tough Leaf has chosen to highlight two of the over 66,000 women-owned businesses (WBEs) from Tough Leaf’s community of diverse firms. These women have demonstrated determination and innovation in leading their companies, overcoming gender barriers that have long made construction a male-dominated field. We applaud their achievements and thank them for paving the way for others to follow. 

6th March 2024

Tough Leaf

Get Your Construction Business Future-Ready: Key Takeaways from Our Webinar

Tough Leaf’s first webinar of 2024 was an exploration of technology in the construction industry. Nick Tilford, Sr Trainer at Procore.org led an excellent session exploring the role that technology currently plays in the construction industry, how tech impacts your projects, how it plays a role in your business, and what a WMBE subcontractor can do to make the most of tech in their business. For those of you who could not join us live, we’re offering a few highlights that should get you up to speed on what technology can do for your business.

28th February 2024

Tough Leaf

A Tough Leaf Spotlight on Two Remarkable Black-Owned Subcontractors

In honor of Black History Month, we are shining a light on two outstanding black-owned subcontracting companies. RHVL Corp and Rough & Ready Construction both have inspiring origin stories and are making a positive impact in their communities.

27th February 2024

Tough Leaf

Everything You Need To Know About Safe Harbor Plans

A safe harbor 401(k) plan is a tax-deferred 401(k) plan that ensures all eligible employees at a company receive an employer contribution made to their individual 401(k) plans, regardless of their title, compensation, or length of service.

22nd January 2024

Mary Cecio

Navigating the Digital Horizon: Why Small Construction Firms Must Embrace Tech for Success

The future of construction undeniably lies in the digital realm, and those who proactively adopt technology - along with the data that comes with it - will play a leading role in shaping this future.

11th January 2024

Tough Leaf

Tough Leaf in 2023:

As we turn the page on 2023, the Tough Leaf Team decided to take a moment to reflect on the meaningful milestones from the past year and get candid about the ambitious goals fueling our drive into 2024 and beyond.

28th December 2023

Tough Leaf

Streamlining Materials Management: Insights from Industry Experts

Managing materials represents a major opportunity for contractors to gain efficiencies and boost bottom lines. In a recent webinar, Tough Leaf and Ply offered invaluable insights into tackling the intricacies of materials management.

5th December 2023

Tough Leaf

Tough Leaf Partner Spotlight: Heartland, Bringing New Potential to Payroll

For the last year, Heartland has had the privileged opportunity to partner with Tough Leaf and support its members with Payroll + HR. Tough Leaf chose to partner with Heartland because we believe that when you trust a company with your payroll, one of your largest business expenses, you are more than just a transaction. Tough Leaf chooses partners that understand the needs of the diverse firms in the Tough Leaf community and can provide genuine support that really makes a difference for these small businesses. There have been numerous times where Tough Leaf clients have come to Heartland with problems and we have gone above and beyond the payroll call of duty to streamline their payroll needs. With a full Human Capital Management solution, Heartland has helped countless business owners grow and flourish their operations. We wanted to take the time to showcase a few KEY examples of long-term solutions Heartland has provided Tough Leaf members for issues they have encountered at one of our competitors.

29th November 2023

Casey Friedricks

Trailblazing the Future: Insights on Construction Tech from Industry Innovators

One thing that can be said about members of the tech community - regardless of the vertical - is that we love to get together to share notes about what we’ve learned. Last month, from October 16th to 22nd, Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), the leading venture capital firm provided NY tech companies with the opportunity to do just that by coordinating NY Tech Week 2023.

21st November 2023

Tough Leaf

Maximizing Green Builds: How to Unlock Massive Savings Through Energy-Efficient Tax Incentives

We’ve partnered with our friends at TaxTaker to break down the 179D and 45L energy efficiency tax incentives. TaxTaker is offering Tough Leaf diverse firms $1500 for every successful referral that uses TaxTaker’s services for these incentive programs.

9th November 2023

Austen Legler

Tough Leaf Announces Integration with Autodesk Construction Cloud

Tough Leaf ™, a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) innovator in construction, has announced a new integration of its AI-powered matching platform with Autodesk Construction Cloud®, a portfolio of software and services that combines advanced technology, a builders network and predictive insights for construction teams.

6th November 2023

Tough Leaf

A Small Business Guide to Getting Your Foot in the Government’s Door

Government contracting offers immense opportunity, but successfully securing these lucrative contracts requires strategy and diligence. In this guide, I'll walk through the key steps to evaluate if government work is right for your business, register and certify your company, identify opportunities, and market yourself effectively. Follow this advice to determine if government contracting is a good fit and set your business up for success in the public sector marketplace.

12th October 2023

Richard Mullings

Announcing Tough Leaf's Newest Partner: Ply - Streamlining Materials Management for Small Contractors

Tough Leaf capacity-building partners are specifically chosen for their ability to support our community of certified MWDBE firms in building internal systems that will help them scale to the next level. This is why we’re happy to introduce Ply, our newest member of the capacity-building team.

5th October 2023

Tough Leaf

Wissam Akra’s Trailblazing Journey in Transforming the Construction Industry

Wissam Akra created Tough Leaf, an AI platform linking construction contractors with underrepresented businesses, streamlining subcontractor hiring for inclusivity. He aimed to empower diverse firms, facing challenges of market entry and compliance. Future plans: expand, innovate, partner, data-driven decisions, community engagement.

25th August 2023

Jason Malki

Tough Leaf Announces Procore Partnership and Product Integration

Tough Leaf, a leader in diverse firm procurement, partners with Procore Technologies, Inc., a global construction management software provider. Through this collaboration, Tough Leaf's database of 80,000+ certified Diverse Companies, including various minority-owned businesses, will be on Procore's App Marketplace. Contractors using Procore can now connect with firms that meet project requirements and deliver high-quality work on time. The partnership aims to empower diverse firms and help contractors achieve diversity participation goals.

6th June 2023

Tough Leaf

Tough Leaf reaches $110 million in projects awarded to diverse firms

Tough Leaf, a mission-driven platform connecting general contractors and developers with qualified business enterprises owned by minorities, women, veterans and other disadvantaged groups, has announced that it has awarded more than $110 million in projects through its platform, charging nothing to the diverse firms that receive these contracts.

5th May 2023

Tough Leaf

How to get certified as a Diverse Firm — New Jersey Edition

How to get certified as a Diverse Firm in New Jersey, including minority-owned, women-owned, disadvantaged, or service disabled veteran-owned businesses. It covers how to determine the appropriate certification, tips for preparing an application, and highlights resources available to diverse firms in the state.

27th January 2023

Tough Leaf

How to get certified as a Diverse Firm — New York Edition

How to get certified as a diverse firm in New York. To do so, you must apply separately to the relevant agencies, such as NYC Small Business Services, NYS, or PANYNJ. The article provides information on what certification to get depending on the projects you bid on, and offers tips on how to prepare for the application process. Additionally, the article introduces Tough Leaf, a platform that connects certified diverse firms with contractors and offers targeted bids based on their qualifications.

27th January 2023

Tough Leaf

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