Michael Gargiulo, President of Citnalta Construction Corp., reflects on his journey from laborer to leader. He shares lessons from building community-first projects, navigating public sector complexities and growing into executive leadership. Michael also offers candid advice on mentorship, career development and the value of humility, curiosity and experience in shaping both projects and people.

Key Takeaways:

(04:10) Family business roots shape careers.

(08:45) From reluctant president to CEO — growth takes experience.

(11:18) Community-focused builds are a core mission.

(14:28) Some builds leave a lasting mark, personally and on the city.

(18:10) Transparency drives strong industry relationships.

(22:37) Ask a lot of questions — no question is stupid.

(26:02) Uncertainty in public funding puts NYC’s transit future at risk.

Resources Mentioned:

Michael Gargiulo

https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-gargiulo-26628b221/

Citnalta Construction Corp. | LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/company/citnalta/about/

Citnalta Construction Corp. | Website

http://citnalta.com

Metropolitan Transportation Authority

https://www.mta.info/

School Construction Authority

http://nycsca.org/

Thanks for listening to the “Building Better Futures” podcast. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a 5-star review, and be sure to subscribe so you never miss any insightful conversations.

#PeopleDevelopment #WorkplaceCulture #AECpodcast