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. Join us for a glimpse into what made our hearts swell with pride. Gain insight into the passion and purpose propelling our mission as we share our fondest memories and biggest dreams. We can’t wait for you to read on and see what’s in store this coming year from Tough Leaf!
“Witnessing the expansion of the Tough Leaf family has been a highlight of my year. The fourfold increase in our team size and observing the implementation of their innovative strategies has been truly inspiring! - Wissam Akra, Tough Leaf CEO”
Our growing staff is an excellent sign that we’re doing something right. For example, the increase in headcount on our Customer Success team is a direct result of the boatload of projects clients have sent our way. We also added new roles, including a Head of Product and a Head of Business Development. Both were filled to help our tech and sales teams go faster and farther with their efforts. Mohammad Abboud, our Software Engineer on the Tech Team, summed it up for all of us when he said, “...the entire time spent watching the company grow and being part of it is amazing. I'm happy to see how Tough Leaf has evolved and grown, and excited to see what 2024 holds for us.”
“My favorite moment this year was, actually, the many moments I spent meeting industry professionals, clients, and diverse subcontractors at industry conferences. I had the pleasure of representing Tough Leaf at TWELVE events this year from coast to coast!” - Neah Brooks, Head of Sales
Neah’s not lying. Our sales and marketing efforts gained momentum this year through events such as Procore Groundbreak in Chicago, Autodesk University in Las Vegas, the NAWIC Annual Conference in Portland, and the NMSDC Annual Conference in Baltimore, MD - just to name a few. Mac Cullinane, one of our Customer Success Specialists, had fond memories of his experience at NY Build. “It was my first ever expo that I attended and overall it was a great experience (it will certainly not be my last)”, he said. “Getting the chance to interact with diverse firms and GCs face to face, and explaining to them how Tough Leaf works and why they should consider our services for their diverse firm procurement needs, was awesome and really did make a positive impact on them.”
We did more than attend these events and expos. Many times we hosted informative sessions or gave keynotes in front of large, and engaged industry professionals. Shaunna Randolph, Head of Business Development, recalled, “I'd say my favorite moment was speaking at the NAWIC Annual Convention. It was my first time representing Tough Leaf and also getting acquainted with the amazing community of people working behind the scenes to make sure projects run smoothly and achieve diversity goals.”
By far our most memorable event was our #NYTechWeek ConTech event, “Has Construction Tech Finally Arrived? Exploring construction-first tech solutions for GCs” In the end, over 100 construction tech enthusiasts came by to hear the latest developments and words of advice offered during our two panels of founders and VCs.
We set big hairy goals and achieved them…
Working at a startup requires getting accustomed to moving at a breakneck pace. Members of our team adapted by setting goals for themselves as well as the overall product. Tough Leaf Product Manager, Hadi Khachfe, summed up our product growth the best by saying, “I joined Tough Leaf and we had no more than 10 geographies across the US covered in our data stack. Now we can proudly serve all the United States!”
Biplav Malla, Front End Developer, agreed, “It's been a blast turning our team's feedback into real, tangible features.”
Product wasn’t the only team with its eyes on the prize. Sales turbocharged its efforts when DiAnita White, our Sales Development Representative, joined the team. “This year, my proudest work moment stemmed from the perseverance demonstrated in scheduling 10 demos within a single month. Despite facing challenges and setbacks, I remained determined to reach this goal,” she said. “It was a gratifying experience, affirming the impact of dedication and precision in achieving professional milestones.”
…with our sights on many more achievements in 2024!
Our mission is to help companies thrive by eliminating the barriers to meaningful diversity and inclusion in construction. We achieve this by the innovative use of technology to solve one of the construction industry’s biggest challenges, efficiently meeting project diversity goals. Inspiration arrives more quickly when you have such a clear vision. Here’s a glimpse into what’s in store for Tough Leaf over the coming months.
“Next year I hope to unlock more avenues for Tough Leaf to pursue and open up the platform to a wider audience by taking full advantage of the technological leaps in machine learning and AI.”
John Cui
Head of Engineering
“I'm excited for some of the larger product expansions we're targeting in 2024. From partnering with local governments to enhance their diversity initiatives to streamlining our subcontractor outreach process to improving our monitoring and reporting services, next year is going to be a huge step forward for the company!”
Scott Levine
Head of Product
Enriching the database…, spanning a wider range of information and data.
Mohammad Tuqan
Data Engineer
“Since the service that we provide…is unique and still new in the market, I would love to assist in making Tough Leaf a well-known brand and the go-to service for all major Contractors in the country…I would love to play a major role in helping our Sales Department sign contracts through digitally acquired leads.”
Mohamad Rajab
Digital Marketing Manager