What CDI Contractors does

CDI Contractors, LLC is a national general contractor and construction management firm headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas, operating as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Dillard's, Inc. (NYSE: DDS). Founded in 1987 to build retail facilities for Dillard's, the company has since expanded into a full-service institutional and commercial builder serving higher education, healthcare, government/civic, retail, office, industrial, arts and culture, and sports/recreation clients across 45 states. CDI executes projects ranging from $100,000 to $100 million and reports $7.2 billion in lifetime completed project value with 80% of work performed for repeat clients.

The company's core service stack spans preconstruction, construction management, general contracting, program management, VDC/BIM with 3D laser scanning, self-perform trades (electrical, drywall, commercial casework), and an AWI Quality Certified custom millwork division. CDI also markets specialized advisory services in economic development and defense/aerospace, the latter led by a retired Air Force Brigadier General. The firm operates from three regional offices (Little Rock and Fayetteville in Arkansas, and Frisco, Texas) plus a millwork production facility in Maumelle, Arkansas, with a workforce of 290+ employees and a 0.64 EMR safety rating.

The business model is project-based professional services revenue with quote-driven pricing. CDI generates work through direct enterprise and field sales targeting institutional owners, leveraging relationship-based repeat business, parent-company bonding capacity from Dillard's, and multi-trade self-perform capabilities to control cost and schedule. Its September 2025 leadership transition installed Mike Preston (former Arkansas Secretary of Commerce) as CEO alongside a promoted President and COO, indicating continued strategic investment by the parent company.

Name

CDI Contractors

Legal name

CDI Contractors, LLC

Website

https://cdicon.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

CDI Contractors is a national general contractor and construction management firm, wholly-owned by Dillard's Inc., delivering commercial and institutional projects from $100K to $100M across 45 states from offices in Arkansas and Texas.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Construction Services

NAICS

Electrical Contractors and Other Wiring Installation Contractors (23821), Other Specialty Trade Contractors (2389)

SIC

General Bldg Contractors - Nonresidential Bldgs (1540)

akta.pro primary industry

Industrial/Process Plant General Contracting (IMAFAAAH)

Keywords

• General contracting services
• Construction management services
• Preconstruction planning
• Commercial construction services
• Building information modeling

Headquarters

HQ city

Little Rock

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Construction Management Services: CDI provides construction management services for commercial and institutional projects, working closely with owners, architects, engineers, and subcontractors to manage costs, maintain schedules, coordinate quality assurance, and reduce avoidable change orders from preconstruction through project closeout.
2. General Contracting: Full-service general contracting for projects of any size, from $100K to $100M, with the same level of quality services regardless of project scale.
3. Preconstruction Services: Preconstruction services including estimating, guaranteed maximum price development, constructability reviews, value analysis, and life-cycle cost analysis.
4. Program Management: Program management services for large-scale, multi-stakeholder initiatives from early planning through closeout.
5. Custom Millwork: Custom millwork services including design coordination, production, and installation for commercial applications.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

CDI Contractors is a national general contractor and construction management firm providing construction management, general contracting, preconstruction, and program management services for commercial and institutional projects ranging from $100K to $100M across 45 states. The company self-performs select scopes (electrical, BIM, commercial casework, drywall) and operates an AWI Quality Certified custom millwork division, while also offering VDC/BIM modeling with 3D laser scanning for planning and coordination.

Product overview

CDI Contractors is a national general contractor and construction management firm offering a comprehensive suite of construction and advisory services. The company's core service offerings include Construction Services, Construction Management, Preconstruction Services, Virtual Design (VDC/BIM), Custom Millwork, Self-Perform Services, and Program Management. Specialized advisory services include Economic Development Services (site selection, tax analysis, incentive negotiations) and Defense/Aerospace Advisory & Construction Services. The company also provides Sustainable Construction practices and talent development programs including Construction Internships and career opportunities. The portfolio covers market sectors including higher education, healthcare, government/civic, industrial, retail, office, sports & recreation, arts & culture, and hospitality.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• 0.64 EMR safety rating
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Hunt Construction Group/AECOMcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCDI partnered with Hunt Construction Group/AECOM to complete the Razorback Stadium North End Zone renovation, demonstrating ability to work as part of joint venture teams on major projects.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• DPR Construction: Top-five national technical GC with leading VDC/BIM capabilities and healthcare, higher education, and life sciences focus. A relevant comparable on technology adoption (BIM, prefabrication) and complex institutional project delivery.
• Turner Construction Company: Largest U.S. commercial general contractor and a broad incumbent with deep overlap in CDI's healthcare, higher education, government, and sports/recreation verticals. Sets the benchmark CDI competes against on $50M–$500M institutional programs.
• Clark Construction Group: Tier-one national commercial GC operating in higher education, healthcare, government, and sports venues — directly overlapping CDI's vertical strategy and competing on the same large institutional programs.
• Balfour Beatty Construction US: Large diversified national GC with overlapping higher education, healthcare, government, and commercial portfolios. Comparable project size band and self-perform/in-house capabilities.
• Hunt Construction Group / AECOM: AECOM's Hunt Construction Group is a major commercial GC and JV partner of CDI on the Razorback Stadium project. Represents the mega-project incumbent tier CDI partners with to access stadium, healthcare, and aviation programs.

Direct peers

• Manhattan Construction Company: Top-ranked U.S. commercial GC with comparable healthcare, higher education, sports, and government/civic mix, including significant southern/central U.S. presence. Closely comparable in project scale and self-perform approach.
• JE Dunn Construction: Employee-owned national GC operating across higher education, healthcare, government, and commercial sectors. Closely aligned to CDI's project mix, mid-to-large project size band, and use of preconstruction + self-perform to drive outcomes.
• McCarthy Building Companies: National employee-owned general contractor and construction manager with comparable focus on healthcare, higher education, government/civic, and commercial projects. Closely mirrors CDI's vertical mix and self-perform capabilities (electrical, carpentry), and serves as a near-direct mid-size national GC comparable.
• Robins & Morton: Mid-size national GC with deep healthcare and higher education focus, comparable project size range, and similar self-perform approach. Strong overlap in CDI's primary verticals (healthcare systems, universities) and southern/central U.S. operating geography.
• Brasfield & Gorrie: Large private national general contractor with healthcare, higher education, government, and commercial emphasis. Comparable self-perform strategy, comparable project size envelope, and similar relationship-based repeat-client orientation.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cdi-contractors

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about CDI Contractors