- May 14, 2026
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DeAngelis Diamond is celebrating 30 years in business in 2026 and shows no signs of slowing down. The construction management company recently opened a new office in Tampa, joining its headquarters in Naples and locations in Sarasota, Orlando, Detroit, Birmingham, Nashville, and Franklin, Tennessee. “We cover about half the United States, and we’re in about 14 states right now with active projects,” says David Diamond, the firm’s co-founder, CEO, and co-chairman.
The firm is also taking a proactive approach to advancements like artificial intelligence. Namely, it started a separate business last year, Future Bylt. The goal? Embrace innovation to build projects safer, faster and more efficiently. Future Bylt uses AI, robotics, advanced analytics, virtual design and advanced planning systems to inform and empower decision-making across construction projects.
DeAngelis Diamond, with some 300 employees, has been averaging a 22% growth rate annually over the last five years, and Diamond sees that continuing.
“Our revenue will be up this year about 22% from last year, and next year, the same,” he says. “Next year, we’ll probably do a billion dollars. This year, we’ll do about $850 million in revenue. Last year, we did $706 million, so we’re continuing that growth, and I think that’s true for most of our competitors in the commercial construction industry. But most of them are growing probably around eight to 10% a year. We’re growing a little faster because we’re expanding and opening new locations like Tampa.”
Diamond, 65, always believed in the company’s potential for success, based on the experience he and co-founder John DeAngelis brought to their new venture, their business plan and goals and their strong faith. When they hit their 10-year goal in the third year of the company, they had the data to back all that up.
“It blew us away,” says Diamond. “We had these big goals and we thought it would take us 10 years. So it happened pretty quickly for us, but there was a lot of planning and preparation to get it there. We didn’t just quit our jobs without really thinking and planning and being prepared. So a lot of that helps remove some of the risk taking of starting a new business.”
Diamond’s grandfather, who lived through the Great Depression and owned a fish market in West Palm Beach, gave him a key tip he applied to his own business. “He taught me never to borrow money, because you don’t want to be in debt,” says Diamond.
He and DeAngelis started their company by each kicking in $50,000. “We’ve never borrowed money and never asked for investors, and it’s worked out really well for us,” says Diamond. “You really recognize the importance of it when you go through a financial crisis, like the 2008 financial crisis.
“Other construction companies that we competed against, the ones that were most in debt were the ones that were first to file for bankruptcy,” he says. “Because your revenues go down, but your expenses stay the same. So it will really help you when times get tough, and tough times do come.”
Diamond grew up poor/lower-middle class, on a dirt road in West Palm Beach. But what he lacked in materialistic things, he made up for in drive: “I knew in high school I was going to start a business,” he says. When DeAngelis Diamond was so successful so quickly, some 25 years ago, Diamond says he looked for places to invest money, in addition to the business. He looked at real estate and related options. Then a friend who worked at Microsoft introduced Diamond to angel investing in Silicon Valley companies. “I was hooked,” says Diamond. “I really like working with people, mentoring them and working with startups.” Diamond has since sold some startups, to companies including Google, Amazon and Trip Advisor. He’s also given presentations on angel investing and startups as far as Italy and Russia.
While Diamond’s made plenty of mistakes, he’s grateful none have been major. “If you’re not willing to take any risks, you’re not going to grow,” he says.
Mistakes that sit with him include missteps around hiring. “And it’s probably more mistakes involving letting people go than hiring,” he says. “Sometimes you have people on your team that you know aren’t doing well, and you give them a second chance and a third chance…But there are some people who either don’t want to learn or don’t want to change. We’ve held on to some people too long; it’s better for that person to move on and find something else.”
