2 min read February 2024 — In an interview with Invest:, John Manning, CEO of construction consulting firm, KMI International, discussed the firm’s significant achievements, including being named one of GrowFL’s 50 Companies to Watch, returning to profitability amid COVID challenges, and its future focus on expansion in the United States, the Caribbean, and the Middle East.
What have been some of the company’s most significant achievements in the past year?
We were recognized as one of GrowFL’s 50 Companies to Watch, which is a significant achievement. It is an award that recognizes growing, second-stage companies that are headquartered in Florida. It signifies the demonstration of high performance in the marketplace and as a company ‘worth watching.’ Despite the challenges posed by COVID-19 in 2020, we returned to profitability in 2023, which is fantastic, especially since we are employee-owned. Today, we have developed a strong relationship-driven business pipeline, globally. Our focus is on expanding in the United States, particularly in Florida, as well as continued success in the Caribbean and the Middle East. We’re actively working to mitigate any impact from potential recessions through market diversification both sector-driven, and geographical diversification.
What sets KMI apart from other players in the market?
Our key strategy for business rests on the basis for building strong relationships with clients, collaborators, and industry associations. We have long-standing partnerships with the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority (GOAA), Canaveral Port Authority, and Universal Studios. Having worked on a diverse portfolio of projects, from GOAA’s South Terminal Complex C to Universal theme parks, we provide our clients with more accurate timelines, budgets, and greater value for their dollar.
At KMI, we help our clients manage their construction projects from concept to completion. We start by identifying their budget and project goals through our extensive estimating process, providing cost clarity, and offering alternatives for savings potential. From there, we manage projects to success as an extension of the client, keeping schedules on course and projects out of the “money pit” so we can aid in providing a means for higher returns on investment. That is the KMI Way.
How does this relationship-based approach translate to fulfilling the needs of your clients?
At KMI, we pride ourselves on being agile project leaders with the credentialed expertise, creating trusted partnerships with our clients. We focus on being agile and adjusting to what our clients need. That’s important. As a completely employee-owned firm, being part of an ESOP means we’re all owners within the firm. This gives us a personal stake in ensuring our clients are satisfied. We spend a lot of time, from the top of the organization to the bottom, understanding our clients’ needs and adjusting accordingly. By developing these relationships and integrating ourselves with our clients’ teams, we build trust. This approach also gives us a solid foundation for working with various designers and general contractors. We develop relationships not just with the owner, but with all the players involved in a project. I believe this gives us an advantage.
Our core focus, underpinned by an entrepreneurial operating system (EOS), is to be a trusted construction consultant. We aim to assist owners in almost any aspect of their development projects. This is achieved through hiring and training our team based on our core values, which include: always doing the right thing for our clients, maintaining professionalism, working as a team, being accountable, and projecting confidence in our relationships. These values are instilled in every team member from the moment they are hired and reinforced throughout their careers.
What are some of the challenges and opportunities you see in Orlando’s development in the key industries that you cover?
We’ve observed a couple of things. For larger developments, there doesn’t seem to be as much of a slowdown as predicted, despite high-interest rates. However, we do see some headwinds in other developments. Working with big companies, we’ve noticed they are proceeding cautiously. They’re not rushing into things; instead, they’re being systematic and careful about their needs and timing. Orlando has seen significant growth, with the Orlando International Airport breaking a record for the number of passengers in 2023, as well as a significant increase in population. There’s a clear need for extensive development, and we’re assisting some consultants with long-range planning. Another example is Universal’s new theme park, Epic, which is set to transform the theme park industry. Universal is not only focusing on its parks here but also on global expansion. Larger entities are still moving forward strongly, but some developments are slowing down due to sensitivity in the economy.
How do you incorporate different technologies to enhance your efficiency?
We are gradually adopting AI, taking baby steps because we want to fully understand it. Our IT consultant advises caution, but we’re keen on keeping up with advancements. GrowFLleadership and CEO events often discuss AI and its potential, so we’re exploring that. We use industry-standard tools like Microsoft 365 and specialized estimating and project management programs. Everything is cloud-based now, allowing us to manage data efficiently for our clients, anytime and anywhere.
Additionally, we utilize drones for various clients, conducting property condition assessments by flying over sites, as well as documenting project status and monitoring. This helps us identify any issues that might be present. We’ve used 360 cameras and infrared cameras in the past to capture detailed views and detect moisture intrusion. These technologies support our goal of helping clients from concept to completion.
How is the hospitality industry in the region evolving, and how is the complexity of projects changing?
The hospitality industry is facing significant challenges, particularly in the realm of new construction, where costs are often prohibitively high. As a result, there’s a trend toward renovating existing properties. We’re managing renovation projects for clients like Host, Marriott Vacation World, and Bluegreen. Cost challenges are exacerbated by inflationary pressures and material delays. Last year, we frequently had to resequence projects or substitute materials due to market conditions and cost issues. This goes back to our need for agility and thorough understanding of our market and its conditions.
Our approach to assisting owners involves engagement at any project stage; however, our primary way of helping is by starting with the development of a strong budget. This includes conducting property condition assessments to understand existing conditions and creating a detailed budget based on the client’s plans. We believe starting with an accurate budget is crucial for our clients’ projects to stay on track. Without the right budget, projects can easily derail.
What trends in construction and project management are you observing and how is KMI adapting to these changes?
What we’re observing is many entities waiting for pricing to drop before initiating large projects. A key issue is the labor force and the talent required for managing these projects. Owners can’t afford to keep staff on their payroll just waiting for a project to start, so they turn to us. We recently had a client who couldn’t expand their internal team, so they’re utilizing our staff to help manage their projects. This scenario is becoming more common, with owners preferring to keep only the necessary personnel on their payroll. We step-in to provide this service.
What opportunities exist in the marine industry within Orlando for some of the projects you have in the pipeline?
In the marine sector, we’re looking at projects with immediate needs, potentially offshore with some cruise lines. I can’t divulge details, but we’re doing estimates for a large cruise line to build out an island adventure as part of their offerings. This concept of exclusive island destinations is a growing trend in the cruise industry. The Canaveral Port Authority is just beginning to outline its expansion plans, and while I’m not privy to their complete budget, we’re closely monitoring it with the hope of assisting them. Marine opportunities also include supporting various ports worldwide.
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