2026 Virginia Black Business Leaders Awards: BRYAN D. CUFFEE

In summer 2025, Cuffee launched Cadenz Development & Construction Management, which provides real estate development management and construction management services.

It’s a big move for Cuffee, who previously worked at Gold Key | PHR, a Virginia Beach hospitality and real estate development company, for three decades. Both Gold Key | PHR and McLeskey, a Virginia Beach real estate and leasing company, have invested in Cadenz and will be clients of the company.

During his tenure at Gold Key | PHR, Cuffee was involved with every major development, starting with the Turtle Cay Resort in 1997. Since 2012, Cuffee had served as Gold Key’s vice president of development. He lists completing the restoration of the historic Cavalier Hotel in 2018 as a career highlight.

FIRST JOB: My first job was in high school, when I worked as a disc jockey with a few friends. We were essentially running our own small business, which was a lot of fun but also gave me an early introduction to entrepreneurship and the basics of business — things like revenue, expenses and profit.

WHOSE FOOTSTEPS I’M FOLLOWING: Both of my parents spent their careers in education — my father as an elementary school teacher and my mother an administrator in higher education. While I did not follow them into the same profession, their commitment to education and lifelong learning had a strong influence on me and continues to shape how I approach my work and the importance I place on learning and helping others grow.