About

Project Development International Inc. (PDI) is a worldwide company offering management and consultation services for the construction industry. PDI’s business is centered on three primary services: international construction project development, services for owners and developers of construction projects to assure project success, and construction dispute resolution services. The company works with the owner of a construction project, representing that owner from the start of a project to ensure smooth, on-schedule, within-budget completion. PDI will also step in on behalf of a client for a project already underway once conflict, schedule delays, or budgetary problems have arisen, working to get the project back on track and to avoid extra costs and legal claims filed against the owner.

A Solid Background in the Construction Industry

James Lalumiere, President and Owner of the company and a Florida licensed contractor, founded PDI in 1980. Lalumiere brings to the company decades of experience in the construction industry. He worked as a high school and college student building large civil projects and later became a field engineer, a superintendent, and a project manager in various multi-million dollar construction projects, so he understands the very human, emotional nature of such endeavors from the ground up.  He is the author of the upcoming book, "Practical Construction: Common Sense Solutions for Project Success".

In the early 1980s, Lalumiere began doing construction litigation consulting and testifying as an expert witness in construction litigation; he has testified in several states. He has been an Arbitrator for the American Arbitration Association since 1984 and has achieved the status of Chartered Arbitrator with the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators in London.  He states that in litigation and arbitration, “I’ve seen how the ultimate resolution process takes place, and as a result, I think we have a lot greater value to add on the front end, to keep people out of those problems.” PDI offers services designed for the precise purpose of helping construction project owners steer clear of any problems that can result in lengthy, costly disputes.

PDI values its personnel's experience in project management and has developed a unique Program, Construction RisKontrol, as a prerequisite for being able to manage and monitor construction effectively. PDI has utilized this Program successfully on projects in the U.S. ranging in size to $416 million.

The PDI team’s years of experience, augmented by Mr. Lalumiere's certification as a Planning and Scheduling Professional by AACE, have prepared the company to understand the problems that can arise with big-budget construction projects and to help prevent, mediate, mitigate, and resolve them. The company employs a handful of full-time employees and contracts with a number of consultants, including construction engineers and architects who are involved with projects as needed.

PDI truly is an international firm, with offices in Dunedin, Fla.; Brussels, Belgium; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Santiago, Chile; Accra, Ghana and Abuja, Nigeria. The company’s international presence facilitates work on the project development front. For example, PDI has ten years of experience working in West Africa, Central and South America, and the Caribbean.  PDI recently completed an award winning project In Ghana and is pursuing projects in Brazil, Ghana, Nigeria, and Gabon.

A Proven Track Record

Much of the company’s projects are in the public sector; the majority of PDI’s clients are federal, state and local governments. Lalumiere notes that government entities are often the clients most in need of services to help ensure that smart, quick decisions are made during the construction process to avoid scheduling and budgetary issues. The company recently completed a contract with the city of Sarasota, Fla., using its Construction RisKontrol Program, to manage and oversee the successful completion of the City's new $46 million police headquarters. Lalumiere reports, “We were the owner’s representative on the project … to make sure that the project came in on time, within budget, and dispute-free.”  That is exactly how the project finished!