Whether it’s an office building, a luxury resort, a major retail complex, or even a power plant, at LHF Development we take what we call a “rearview mirror” approach to every one of our commercial development projects. From the very start of each project, our goal is to create something that we can look back on with pride. This means not only a structure or development designed with style, but also one that embraces an eco-consciousness and a consideration for where it is built.
We oversee development projects for any number of clients, and we also take projects on under the LHF umbrella. Whether a project is here in the states or half way across the world, we know we are working in someone else’s back yard, and we want to respect that. This understanding is not only embraced in our design process but also in the way we work.
The LHF Principle: We view at every project on which we work as a reflection of LHF Development as a company and who we are as individuals. This holds just as true for projects we develop for our clients as it does for ones we develop ourselves. We look to involve the local community from the very start. We build relationships with civic and government leaders, so we can develop a solid understanding of any cultural and community issues we need to be sensitive to. We also look to utilize the local skilled labor for the bulk of the on-site workforce.
LHF Development is the logical extension of Lionel’s 30-plus-year career and his personal philosophy. “For me, it’s about providing positive stewardship in the industry,” Lionel explains. “It’s about being socially conscious and responsible with our developments.”
Lionel Foster Jr. | CEO LHF Development & L Internationale Properties
For every development project, a core LFH team is assigned to coordinate and manage all aspects from design and permitting to construction and hand-off. As much as possible, this team is supported by a local workforce. This includes mid-level project management, contractors, suppliers and laborers. We don’t do this based on cost, we simply want to help the local community benefit as much as possible from the work we do.
Lionel spent the first 13 years of his career engineering major commercial projects for Giffles Associates in Michigan. This ran the gamut from VA facilities to tank manufacturing plants to atomic power
plants, among others, for clients such as Eastman Kodak, Toyota, IBM and more. After constantly hearing complaints from the on-site teams about engineers not understanding what it really took to actually build a building, he walked away from his desk position and right onto the job site. He started at the bottom, digging ditches, laying foundations and worked his way up. He parlayed this combined knowledge into a role consulting for investment property developers. The exposure to this world was what sparked Lionel to establish LHF Development, and as they say, the rest is history.
Every member of the LHF Development team has a passion for what they do—however we realized most of them don’t have a passion for every aspect of what we do. That’s why we have a number of semi-autonomous divisions within LHF Development. Each division has a core project and management team focused on their specialized area of expertise. We often engage in cross-collaboration when a project would benefit from another division’s knowledge.
L Internationale is our division dedicated to the design and execution of high-end, luxury resort properties. The L International team understands the nuances of developing experiences for the discerning traveler. They also know what it takes to navigate the intricacies of international development, and how to identify and incorporate the development processes and considerations for a specific foreign locale.
L Internationale also encompasses property management for project that remain in the LHF Development ownership portfolio after completion. For these properties, we manage all aspects of operation including long-term planning and daily operations.
While the breadth of experience LHF Development has in large-scale commercial development is extensive, everything we work on embraces our “rearview mirror” ideals. Our measure of success for every project takes into consideration time and budget, and it also includes the way people feel about the process and the final product. If we can’t build something right, we won’t build it at all.
Katafanga Island is a private oasis in the Lau Island Group in Fiji. The island itself is 225 acres of unspoiled beauty where L Internationale Properties and Resorts is looking to develop and operate a $300 million, five-star, private island luxury resort and spa where each guest enjoys their own private villa and service staff. Facilities will include private runway with hanger facilities, and over-the-water helipad, and private marina facilities.
The island property presents an extremely unique opportunity as a previous entity had begun their own development process, which included full design plans and laying foundations for a number of buildings. We look to leverage their initial efforts and expand on them in order to bring our own vision of the Katafanga Island Luxury Resort & Spa to life. This will save time and resources in both the planning and preliminary development stages.
