Cummings Properties celebrates 50 years of building communities

Woburn, MA Suburban-Boston commercial real estate firm Cummings Properties kicked off its 50^th anniversary celebration at a recent party with nearly 400 employees and guests. The firm used the occasion as an opportunity to thank the many colleagues, clients and communities that have supported its growth over the past five decades.

Founded and headquartered in Woburn, the company’s presence now extends to 11 communities north of Boston, where it manages a portfolio of more than 10 million s/f.

 

 

At the celebration, founder Bill Cummings and his wife, Joyce, honored the company’s longest-tenured and newest colleagues. The company recognized 19 colleagues celebrating 10^th, 20^th, and 30^th anniversaries. Marblehead resident Marc Knittle was one of three employees marking three decades at the firm. It also celebrated its President’s Award winners, whom president Eric Anderson noted as being “particularly dedicated, reliable, and consistent in meeting the very high standards of the company.”

“These colleagues, and the many team members across the Cummings organization, are responsible for the growth and success of our company. We are so grateful for both our staff and our clients, who together have helped create many thriving business communities north of Boston,” said Anderson. “We also highly value our partnership with the cities and towns that are home to our properties, and we are proud to support them through economic development and locally focused philanthropy.”

A history of local development and giving
Entrepreneur Bill Cummings founded Cummings Properties in 1970 with a single 6,000 s/f property in Woburn. Since then, the company has been a major force in the Massachusetts real estate scene. Over five decades, it has contributed to the business, community, and social fabric of greater Boston as a major employer, corporate philanthropic contributor, and provider of suburban commercial real estate space for business enterprises of all sizes.

Among the company’s signature properties are TradeCenter 128, a landmark class A office building along the I-95 corridor in Woburn, and Cummings Center, the North Shore’s premiere office park, in Beverly. Located at the former home of United Shoe Machinery Corp., the property is one of the largest real estate recycling projects in the country. The firm also operates Beverly’s Dunham Ridge campus, which is rapidly developing into a major business and research park.

Cummings has gradually stepped away from the day-to-day operations of the company to focus on the work of Cummings Foundation, which he and Joyce founded in 1986. The couple were the first Massachusetts billionaires to sign the Giving Pledge, a promise to give the majority of their wealth to charity.

“In founding Cummings Properties, I wanted to not only build my own business but also create communities where other businesses could grow and thrive,” said Cummings. “We measure our success as a company in traditional business terms as well as by the impact we make on the local community through the work of Cummings Foundation.”

In keeping with this altruistic philosophy, Cummings donated the majority of Cummings Properties’ buildings to Cummings Foundation, with 100% of those rental profits benefitting hundreds of local nonprofits. Cummings Foundation donates $20 million annually to local charities based in Middles, Essex, and Suffolk County and has granted more than $260 million to date.

Cummings Properties manages a portfolio of 10 million s/f of commercial space in 11 suburban communities north and west of Boston. With a portfolio of this size and variety, the firm can meet almost any commercial real estate need from 150 s/f to 300,000 s/f. 

Its in-house experts in design, construction, and property management offer “one-stop shopping” for the business community.