James is President and Managing Member of PES Design Group LLC, a family operated Food Service Consulting firm with over 40 years of experience in the convenience store and food service industries. Their mission is “Designing functionally innovative, attractive and profitable facilities on time and on budget.” They have offices in Sarasota Florida, Chicago Illinois, Atlanta Georgia and Houston Texas and provide services worldwide.
James has 31 years of experience in the food service design industry. His professional experience includes food service design, MEP final connection plans, equipment specification, custom stainless steel equipment design, client contact, and overall project management. He has worked for companies such as Illinois Range Company (Food Service Design and Equipment Supplier for McDonald’s Corporation), served as Vice President of Fishman and Associates, Inc (Food Service Design and Equipment Firm, Venice, FL) and is now President of PES Design Group. Food Service Design: Jim has designed projects from small restaurants to large institutional kitchens. He has performed design services for Signature Senior Living ALF facilities in Texas, Healthcare projects such as Bethesda Naval Hospital (Bethesda, MD), St. Joseph’s North (Riverview, FL) and clubhouse kitchens such as Boca Bay Pass Club (Boca Grande, FL) and Country Club of Ocala (Ocala, FL). His clients have included McDonald’s Corporation, Sarasota County School Board, Manatee County School Board, Collier County School Board, Guest Services, Sarasota County and the Baltimore Orioles. Equipment Specification: Jim is very knowledgeable about equipment specific to the food service industry. He has worked in both the consulting and the manufacturing sides of the food service equipment industry. He attends trade shows and keeps current on new technologies. Jim has no loyalty to any particular brand or equipment manufacturer; therefore, his equipment selections are in the best interest of his clients. Project Management: Jim has extensive project management experience. He is very detailed oriented, extremely thorough and well organized. He has a full understanding of his projects, can foresee challenges and develop strategies to resolve them. Jim is a good team leader and team player, able to lead his team efficiently and interact with other disciplines knowledgeably and with excellent communication skills. Jim participates 100% in projects for which he serves as consultant and project manager.
