KAI Hires James Lawrence, AIA, LEED AP as Senior Project Manager

KAI is excited to announce the hiring of James Lawrence, AIA, LEED AP as Senior Project Manager at its Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas office.

As a Senior Project Manager, Lawrence is responsible for overall project profitability and customer satisfaction. He also manages owner relations and oversees subcontractor and KAI personnel performance.

Lawrence has over 25 years of project management experience related to retail, mixed-use, multi-family residential, government, corporate and transportation. His experience includes project management through all phases of pre-design, design, production, construction and administration including the coordination of multiple consultant teams. He also has extensive expertise in Building Information Modeling (BIM) and Cloud Computing Systems.

Prior to KAI, Lawrence worked as an Associate/Senior Project Leader for GFF Architects in Fort Worth; Project Manager at CallisonRTKL in Dallas; and Project Manager/Information Technology Director for Quorum Architects in Fort Worth.

“KAI is delighted to welcome James to our Design business as Senior Architect & Project Manager,” said KAI Managing Partner Brad Simmons, FAIA. “He brings more than two decades of diverse architecture practice experience to our DFW A/E team. We appreciate his adaptability and flexibility between small to large projects as well as his ability to fluidly lead through all project phases from pre-design to construction activities. Most importantly, we value his steady management leadership and collaborative approach. James is a wonderful fit with KAI’s core values and mission of transforming communities.”

His extensive project portfolio includes Project Manager/Project Architect on The Solomon mixed-use, multi-family development in Austin, Texas; The Ferro multi-family development in Plano, Texas; and the Arlington Life Shelter renovation and expansion in Arlington, Texas.

Lawrence, who has a Bachelor of Science in Architecture from the University of Texas at Arlington, is an advocate of Public Interest Design and sustainable design practices through his membership in the Social Economic Environmental Design (SEED) Network. He has served as Committee Chair for the AIA Fort Worth Affordable Housing Committee, is a 25-year volunteer project manager with Trinity Habitat for Humanity and is a member of Strong Towns. Lawrence is also a LEED Accredited Professional and a registered architect in Texas and Washington.

Lawrence and his wife Marti have a son named Carter. In his spare time, Lawrence enjoys windsurfing, kitesurfing, cooking, gardening and building with Habitat for Humanity.

KAI Enterprises

KAI Enterprises is a national design and build firm providing delivery-oriented building solutions with a diverse portfolio of experience, in-house multi-discipline professionals, and expertise in both design and construction delivery. Founded in 1980, KAI has grown into one of the largest minority-owned firms in the AEC industry. For more than 40 years, KAI has been instrumental in transforming communities through its expertise in residential, commercial, K-12, higher education, healthcare, science and technology, aviation, mobility, sports and entertainment, government, water and community-focused projects. KAI Enterprises is comprised of four distinct business units—KAI Design, KAI Engineering, KAI Build and KAI 360 Construction Services. To learn more about KAI, visit www.kai-db.com.