Craig Galati, CPSM
Since 2020
Active
SMPS Las Vegas member
AEC marketing professional
Craig brings exceptional strategic leadership and purpose-centered design expertise to architecture and professional services marketing, currently serving as Principal at LGA Architecture, where he has helped build a forward-thinking practice since 1988 that combines architecture, sociology, and sustainability to create life-giving solutions for communities. His leadership philosophy centers on putting people first—prioritizing the voices of communities served over ego-driven design pursuits.
His comprehensive expertise spans workshop facilitation, public outreach, strategic planning, business development, and empowering marketing professionals to become confident strategic leaders with over 40 years of experience in the built environment. Craig excels at helping teams develop forward-thinking solutions while championing marketing’s powerful role in successful AEC practice.
With a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Idaho and dual Fellowship recognition from both SMPS (2014) and AIA (2019), Craig specializes in integrating marketing mindsets into architectural practice through strategic planning, community outreach, and relationship-driven approaches. His mission extends beyond design excellence to raising awareness for the transformative power of marketing and business development within the AEC industry while demonstrating compassionate leadership that drives organizational growth.
Craig demonstrates extraordinary professional leadership through both his CPSM certification and his prestigious dual Fellowship recognition from SMPS (2014) and AIA (2019)—a rare distinction representing the highest honors in both professional services marketing and architecture. His most significant achievement is receiving the 2023 Weld Coxe Marketing Achievement Award, SMPS’s highest honor, recognizing “a remarkable marketing or business development professional whose career achievements, leadership role, and lasting contributions to the A/E/C industries are exemplary.”
His transformative national leadership came through his service as SMPS Society President (2015-2016), where he helped develop the powerful vision statement “Business Transformed Through Marketing Leadership” that continues to guide the Society’s strategic direction. During his presidency, Craig championed the critical role marketing holds in successful AEC firms while empowering professionals to become confident and strategic leaders at the national level.
Craig’s chapter leadership includes serving as SMPS Las Vegas Chapter President, where he fostered the collaborative, inclusive culture that positioned the chapter for sustained growth and professional excellence. His sustained SMPS engagement extends through service on the “Blueprints” Committee, Build Business (now Amplify A|E|C) Conference Committee, and numerous speaking engagements at chapter and regional conferences nationwide.
His thought leadership as an accomplished speaker and published author has influenced thousands of AEC professionals through books including “The Reluctant Leader” (2021), “Business From the Heart” (2010), “A Man in Transition: Reflections on Relationships, Leadership, and Life” (2007), and “Admit it! 21 things you already know but apparently have forgotten regarding client service” (2005). Each work offers authentic insights on compassionate leadership, client relationships, and the integration of marketing excellence into professional practice.
Craig’s signature presentation “Leading with Love” explores how compassionate leadership transforms workplace dynamics and organizational culture. His session provides tools to assess the ability to lead with empathy, highlighting how an empowered culture significantly boosts both individual and group performance. This philosophy stems from his firm’s experience in December 2011, when LGA Architecture faced over $800,000 in debt during the Great Recession. Rather than filing for bankruptcy, Craig and his partners committed to paying off every creditor, rehiring furloughed workers, and turning the company around through compassionate leadership—a transformative journey that reshaped his understanding of authentic leadership.
His community leadership demonstrates profound civic impact through service as City of Las Vegas Planning Commissioner (1997-2003), Las Vegas Metro Chamber of Commerce Government Affairs Committee member, and Board of Directors for The MOB Museum. His planning commission service earned him the American Planning Association DeBoer Excellence in Planning Award, recognizing outstanding contributions to Las Vegas’s built environment.
Craig has received numerous honors including the AIA Nevada Service Award, AIA Nevada Silver Medal, and Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce Community Achievement Award for Business. These recognitions validate his comprehensive excellence across architecture, marketing, and civic leadership.
As a Fellow of both SMPS and AIA, Craig represents the rare integration of marketing and design excellence at the highest professional levels. Colleagues describe him as having “an uncanny ability to turn things around and analyze them in a way without pretext or bias,” stemming from solving spatial relationships as an architect while melding that process into business strategy. His contributions are described as “innumerable, but it’s never about him—he plants seeds of innovation and growth in others and helps inspire their growth.”
Achievements:
