T.J. Gall & Associates Inc. Named Small Business of the Month for February

Combine construction expertise, time management skills, energy personified and a passion for Greater Lafayette, and you’ve got Tom Gall. He’s a project director, redevelopment consultant and founder of T.J. Gall & Associates Inc.,  14 N. Second St., Suite A, named Greater Lafayette Commerce’s Small Business of the Month for February 2010.

“What I like is the challenge of making the built environment better,” says the 1982 Purdue graduate in building construction management. “Whether it’s building a trail, improving an urban street, or working on a $60 million mixed-use development like Wabash Landing, I like all things that involve making our built environment better. I’ve really developed a passion for the outdoor environment and creating a sense of place for the community.”

Launched Business in 2000

T.J. Gall & Associates began operations in 2000 with a single contract, assisting West Lafayette in the preliminary phase of Wabash Landing.

“We moved on to work on many multi-faceted, mixed-use planned developments for various developers throughout the area,” Gall says. He was joined in the business for seven years by Tom Loepker, who was on the heart transplant list when he died in 2009.

In all, Gall has nearly 30 years of experience and has tallied a long list of successful project involvement, from Wabash Landing and dozens more for the city of West Lafayette to more than 20 projects for Unity Healthcare and many more.  

The Go-to Guy

“He works for the owner in coordination and collaboration with all of the people furnishing services,” says former West Lafayette Mayor Sonya Margerum, who especially appreciates Gall’s contributions to Wabash Landing.

“He was able to anticipate what contractors and consultants would need—permits, financing, coordination—so preliminary work could be done,” Margerum says. “He provided an invaluable service, keeping the vision foremost within a very tight time frame.”

Gall says he “specializes in building relationships while building projects,” and those relationships include owners, contractors, government organizations and community residents. “Project buy-in and consensus are an important part of a successful development.”

Variety of Projects

Mark Wessel at Unity Healthcare agrees that Gall deserves recognition. “He’s dependable. Reliable. Trustworthy. He looks out for our best interest, and he completes the job to our satisfaction. That’s pretty much it if I had to sum it up.”

West Lafayette Mayor John Dennis also cites Gall’s community involvement, calling him “a model of how to be a great business owner and individual who cares about his community.”

Involved in Community

Says Dennis, “Tom has worked tirelessly to make West Lafayette and Lafayette a great place to live and work. Tom has helped create events to bring people to the downtown area, puts in a staggering amount of volunteer hours, and pushed elected and civic leaders to always look at the big picture.”

Gall volunteers hundreds of hours a year to Downtown festivals and events. He serves as chair of the Uptown Jazz and Blues committee and chairs subcommittees for Dancing in the Streets, Art on the Wabash and the Christmas Parade.

He also serves as co-chair of Greater Lafayette Commerce’s Downtown Development Council, Art Museum of Greater Lafayette board and West Lafayette Strategic Plan Steering Committee. And he’s contributed funds and/or services to countless groups, including the West Lafayette Library, Lafayette Transitional Housing, West Lafayette Tree Fund, Relay for Life and others.

In his rare spare time, Gall is taking to the road for long-distance bicycle and motorcycle trips, kayaking on the Wabash River and running.

He also enjoys landscape gardening. “My home is an ornamental grass menagerie, with plants from 6 inches to 16 feet tall,” he says. A new interest is learning more about art, and trying his own hand at mosaic work.