In this episode, Eric Gatti, President and Managing Partner of G William Group, shares how he rose from college intern to leading a full buyout of the firm and how that journey shaped his views on leadership, culture, and trust. Eric and Christian discuss why true leadership means being at the "back of the pack" making sure no one gets left behind. Eric reveals how betting on friends with zero AEC experience built his strongest team, why ego has no place in company culture, and how empowering people to make hires, run accounts, and own outcomes has fueled G William Group's growth and success.

https://www.gwgllc.com/

https://theantiarchitect.com/

0:05 - Christian introduces Eric Gatti, President of G. Williams Group
1:03 - Eric shares how he rose from college intern to company owner
2:38 - The story of taking over a delayed Wonder project and earning trust
4:12 - What happened when design had to take a back seat to delivery
5:23 - How Eric and Christian first met and why that project mattered
6:28 - What annoys Eric about working with some architects
8:03 - Why design isn’t "yours" it's the client’s vision brought to life
9:01 - How GWG approaches design-build differently than traditional CM firms
10:13 - Why early collaboration on pricing, programming, and priorities matters
13:01 - The problem with product reps and value engineering after the fact
14:47 - How BIM and live data could close the gap between design and cost
16:48 - Why architects need more hands-on field experience
18:08 - Debunking the myth that contractors make money from change orders
21:09 - Eric’s origin story from rugby to repurposing industrial space
24:30 - Lessons from his first project and the importance of being a sponge
28:03 - How on-site trades taught Eric more than any classroom ever did
33:04 - Becoming a partner at 23 and why he almost said yes too early
36:00 - The hard part of succession managing ego during a buyout
37:55 - Why building a strong team meant taking risks on friends with no experience
41:13 - How GWG keeps culture alive by hiring for grit not just credentials
45:13 - Eric shares how GWG is using OpenSpace Procore and AI carefully
47:03 - Why speed and polish from AI can’t replace critical thinking and context
49:02 - Christian and Eric commit to a staff exchange on a future joint project