Going Above and Beyond
GLTArchitects is 2002 
Small Business of the Year

by Diane Hageman

On the outside, the four owners of GLTArchitects are cordial, friendly, affable and, well, downright nice guys.  But make no mistake here.  On the inside, there is incredible drive and a burning desire to succeed.  

Is it that competitive nature that has led to their success?  Ask them and they would agree, in part, that this is true.  Yet they would also tell you that they had solid foundations in family and work experience, mentors, and the good fortune to have found in each other four people whose complementing strengths make a strong partnership.

Is it that competitive nature that has led to their success?  Ask them and they would agree, in part, that this is true.  Yet they would also tell you that they had solid foundations in family and work experience, mentors, and the good fortune to have found in each other four people whose complementing strengths make a strong partnership. 

This partnership is made up of David Leapaldt, Dan Tideman, Steve Paasch and John Frischmann, winners of the 2002 St. Cloud Area Chamber of Commerce Small Business of the Year Award.   

"We all seem to be like-minded and have similar outlooks and perspectives," said Tideman. 

"Yet, we have diversity in our opinions that brings strength to our decisions, Leapaldt, company president, added.  We were first and foremost trained as architects, not necessarily as business people.  It takes a lot of creativity, consensus building and problem solving to make solid decisions. We take a lot of pride in our work and I firmly believe that good design is good business."  

And where did that basis for good design begin?  With the opening of Gary K. Grooters Architects back in 1976 in east St. Cloud, Gary really established a strong foundation for us.  We learned good design from him and how to manage overhead and money. He developed a big presence in senior health care and was still with us when we began to transition into community projects,î Leapaldt explained.  Tideman joined Grooters as the first full-time architect in 1984 and three years later, Tidemanís college friend, Leapaldt, was hired.  In 1989, Leapaldt and Tideman became partners with Grooters and the name was changed to Grooters & Associates Architects.  Since that time, GLTArchitects has seen marked growth in both staff and sales.