FARGO, N.D. – After more than three decades in the architecture field, JLG Architects’ Jim Galloway, AIA, Higher Education Principal leader, is embarking on retirement, a release states. Galloway is the “G” in JLG Architects, joining the firm 28 years ago as an original partner alongside Dan Miller, JLG’s CEO Michelle Mongeon Allen, and the firm’s late co-founder Lonnie Laffen. Galloway has been part of the firm’s growth from a single office with four employees to a 35-year, nine-office national design firm recognized in MSN Money’s 50 Most Admired U.S. Companies, as well as Engineering News-Record Mountain States’ 2019 and 2024 Design Firm of the Year.
An award-winning Registered Architect, Studio Practice Leader, and Principal Leader, Galloway has worked on over 500 university projects, earning JLG national recognition as one of the nation’s Top University Architecture Giants. His award-winning academic, research, and student life designs span the Midwest, from state-of-the-art business centers to alumni centers, memorial unions, historic preservations, libraries, and residence halls. Galloway is also the Principal-In-Charge for the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library in Medora, North Dakota; a “living library” designed to embrace the Badlands, honor ecological systems, and be a global and regional model for sustainable living.
“As one of JLG’s original owners, Jim has been the quintessential trailblazer, building a legacy of integrity, design excellence, industry leadership, and firm mentorship. We are proud to keep the ‘G’ in JLG, honoring the outstanding work of one of this firm’s original leaders and most impactful visionaries,” Mongeon Allen said.
Galloway is a LEED-Accredited Professional and council member for the North Central Region of SCUP – Society of College and University Planners. He has also been active in dozens of civic and professional organizations, committing over 30 years to advising thought leaders and advancing education initiatives, from Planning and Zoning Commissions to the Chamber of Commerce, Young Professionals, YMCA, Economic Development Corporation, and many others.
“Jim has made an enduring impact on JLG while dedicating his life to elevating the profession through the enrichment of communities and campuses across the Midwest,” Mongeon Allen said. “When the four original partners sat around our conference room table in 2007 at a pivotal point in the firm’s history, Jim advocated for the vision that would eventually lead us to our 2014 transition to employee ownership. Our collective goal was to continue to do the very best work for and with the very best people. Jim helped JLG do just that, create a legacy firm that would live on beyond the four of us – generating unlimited opportunity, award-winning regional and national projects, and a people-first culture our employee-owners are proud to be part of today.”
Jim (James) Galloway is originally from Park River, North Dakota. After graduating with a Bachelor of Architecture in 1988 from North Dakota State University, Galloway moved to Iowa City, Iowa, to accept a position as architectural associate at Hanson Lind Meyer, where he remained until 1991 before transitioning to an architect role at HGA Architecture in Minneapolis. In 1996, Galloway moved to Grand Forks, North Dakota, taking on the role of architect at Johnson Laffen Architects, named for the firm’s original founders, Lonnie Laffen and Gary Johnson. In 2000, Galloway made partner, which renamed the firm to Johnson Laffen Galloway (JLG Architects).
