Spotlight On: John Manning, CEO, Co-Founder, and Chairman of the Board, KMI International

November 2025 — In an interview with Invest:, KMI International’s CEO and Co-Founder, John Manning, highlighted the demands within  the theme park market sector, the importance of collaborations, and the efforts to guide clients through current economic challenges. “The clients that we work with have raised plenty of funds to do what they want to do. If they are holding back, it is primarily because the cost of doing business is not lining up with the return on investment,” Manning said.

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What key changes in the past year have most influenced KMI International’s operations?

Over the past year, our team has really come together. We sharpened our focus in key areas and strategically added team members to strengthen a service line where we were already performing well — theme park estimating. This has now grown into one of our largest areas of work. In addition to project management and project controls, our cost estimating services, particularly for theme parks, have increased dramatically this year. That’s a significant shift from last year, when we were working to break into this market; now, we are clearly seeing the results of that effort.

How are changes in the market affecting development pipelines in the different sectors that you are involved in?

Theme parks have grown significantly over the past few years. We worked extensively with Universal on the Epic project and continue to support Universal in other regions across the country. Overall, themed entertainment remains a strong growth area, with Disney also expected to launch a major expansion soon, signaling continued momentum in this sector despite broader economic pressures.

In aviation, we continue to support MCO and GOAA with estimating services, primarily focused on budgeting for long-term capital planning as they develop their 10-year strategic plan. While aviation remains a growth segment, we have intentionally reduced our footprint there to concentrate more heavily on themed entertainment, which has been a particularly profitable area for us.

Hospitality, by contrast, saw most of its new-build activity peak last year. While renovation work is still underway, the pace has slowed. We continue to maintain a strong hospitality team, but overall project volume in that sector has moderated.

How has your approach to themed entertainment evolved, especially in the face of strong demand in that sector?

We are currently estimating portions of approximately $20 billion in theme park developments in Saudi Arabia and are also evaluating projects in the United Arab Emirates. This is in addition to our ongoing work with Universal and other smaller venues across the United States. Our presence in themed entertainment has expanded as we’ve intentionally targeted this sector and added exceptional talent to our team.

The hospitality sector remains stable for us — neither growing nor declining — while in aviation we have deliberately shifted our focus toward themed entertainment, where we have a deep well of experience. Our company was founded by Mike Kraus and me following our work on Universal’s major development program in the late 1990s, and we have continued to grow that relationship since then. For a firm of just 25 people, we now support a remarkably broad portfolio of work.

What new markets or services has the firm added to reinforce your strategy?

Because we’ve shifted our focus heavily into themed entertainment — particularly show and ride estimating — we are now active in many different regions across the United States. For example, we are currently estimating a project in New York and partnering with firms in Tennessee. Our reach is no longer limited to one market; we are working in multiple geographic areas, both nationwide and globally.

How do you see the theme entertainment sector growing in the future?

The entertainment sector is constantly evolving, and AI will play an increasing role in how new rides and attractions are developed. These are key factors we are actively evaluating. Our estimating is performed virtually, leveraging AI-driven tools to scan drawings and accelerate the estimating process. Looking ahead, our focus will continue to center on immersive entertainment experiences.

What current or new relationships is the firm seeking to strengthen further?

KMI has always focused on developing and maintaining longstanding client relationships. We have longstanding relationships with several key partners. For example, we continue to provide estimating services to the Canaveral Port Authority, a client we have supported since 2015. With Universal, whom we have supported since 2003, we are actively maintaining and strengthening our relationship, while also seeking to build new partnerships with other themed entertainment organizations.

Collaboration is increasingly critical to how we work. Many of our projects involve serving as one part of a larger, multidisciplinary team. We regularly collaborate with designers and creative firms to deliver a complete, integrated package for our clients, and these relationships are central to our success. Being in close proximity to our collaborators allows us to enhance their services and respond quickly to project needs.

We partner with firms that rely on us for estimating across a wide range of sectors — from theme parks and Coast Guard facilities to hotels and cruise destinations — ensuring they have accurate, reliable cost insight wherever they operate.

What is the firm’s approach to talent retention and leadership training?

My primary focus is building our internal team focusing on hiring the right people for the right seats. As an employee-owned company, we are committed to financial transparency, and every team member is an employee-owner. We work closely with our people to help them understand how they can contribute to growing the company, and I devote more of my time to this than to anything else. While I support our business development efforts, my biggest priority is preparing our team for the future and ensuring our company remains employee-focused — a place where people feel welcomed and valued.

Many of our new hires come through referrals from existing employees, which speaks to the culture we’ve built. We occasionally recruit at colleges, but most of our team members join us with industry experience and a strong understanding of the market. We also do extensive networking with our collaborators, which helps us identify the right people and bring them on board.

What goes into estimating and helping clients with projects in the face of broader economic challenges?

The tariff environment has affected nearly all of our clients, slowing projects and causing delays. Many have had to pause, reassess, and shift where they source materials, and we have been closely involved in helping them navigate those changes as part of our process.

In contrast, we are not seeing the same level of interest-rate sensitivity that we have in prior years. Most of our clients have already raised the capital they need to move forward. When projects are put on hold, it is usually because current costs do not align with the expected return on investment, rather than the cost of borrowing itself.

Our markets are generally less interest-sensitive than others. That said, we do anticipate that lower interest rates will help unlock projects in sectors that have been hit harder — such as multifamily apartments. As those developments come back online, they will generate more work and spending, which in turn supports growth across all of the sectors we serve.

What are the firm’s priorities for the next three to five years?

We’ve learned the importance of being active in multiple markets, and we will continue to pursue those opportunities. In the Middle East — particularly Saudi Arabia, where much of the current theme park demand is concentrated — there is no shortage of capital. With a directive extending through 2034 for completing a significant slate of theme parks, they will continue to invest heavily and will need ongoing support.

Our goal is to keep building strong long term client relationships and to work wherever our clients need us. As we grow, we will remain focused on aligning our service offerings with what makes the most sense for our clients and the markets we serve.

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