CDI was incorporated on September 16, 1950 in Philadelphia as Comprehensive Designers Inc., with the mission of providing quality technical and engineering services to businesses on a temporary or outsourced basis. The company went public in 1967 and its name was condensed to CDI Corp. in 1973.

The post-World War II manufacturing boom created the need for large numbers of skilled personnel with engineering, design and drafting experience. Much of that demand was spawned by project work, which meant spot labor shortages could occur seemingly overnight. The idea of filling those seats with skilled contract personnel was an innovative solution that made sense.

CDI steadily expanded its service offerings over the years and now provides engineering and information technology outsourcing solutions and professional staffing to a wide range of Fortune 1,000 customers in the aerospace, process & industrial, IT, life sciences and government services sectors. Operating units include CDI Engineering Solutions, a provider of high-value engineering outsourcing services to clients in key industries; CDI IT Solutions, providing a full suite of IT consulting, project outsourcing and staffing solutions; CDI AndersElite Limited, a professional staffing and services firm focusing on the construction and engineering markets in the United Kingdom; and, Management Recruiters International, Inc., one of the world’s largest executive search and recruitment organizations with almost 1,000 MRINetwork® offices in over 35 countries.

In 2008, CDI had revenues of approximately $1.12 billion.