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Woburn, MA -- More than 350 people turned out Thursday night for the 11th anniversary celebration of New Horizons at Choate senior center. Residents and their guests enjoyed delicious food, lively ragtime music by the Yankee Stompers, and a guest appearance by Ms. Senior America, all to commemorate the facility's 1990 opening.

New Horizons at Choate is a not-for-profit residence that provides independent and assisted living retirement options for seniors. Through substantial financial backing from Cummings Properties Foundation and Choate Medical Center, which is owned by New Horizons, residents receive exceptional accommodations and care for much less than most similar communities.

Located on Warren Avenue, New Horizons was once the private residence of well respected Woburn resident and philanthropist Charles Choate. Constructed in 1850, the sizable mansion stands on Woburn's historic Academy Hill, just one street away from Horn Pond. Following Choate's death, the property was donated by Choate's daughter and granddaughter for use as a charitable hospital.

The Charles Choate Memorial Hospital provided outstanding care to residents of Woburn and surrounding communities for nearly 90 years. During the 1980s the hospital suffered

significant financial setbacks that led to its eventual bankruptcy and closure. In 1989 Cummings Properties Foundation purchased the facility, and after extensive renovation reopened the property as New Horizons senior center. Today New Horizons provides independent and assisted living for 126 residents.

The facility also hosts the independently managed Hearthstone wing, which accommodates up to 26 residents for the care and treatment of seniors living with Alzheimer's and other dementia.

Several people spoke at the event including, Bill Young who has lived at New Horizons for 11 years and is one of its original residents, Joyce Cummings, member of the board of trustees, and Rich Friedman from the Woburn Daily Time Chronicle.

The event was attended by Senator Charles Shannon (D- Somerville), Representative Carol Donovan (D-Woburn), who is a trustee emerita of New Horizons, and several other political officials.

For information on New Horizons or Choate Medical Center, contact Executive Director Barbara Whalen at 781-932-800, or visit the community online at www.cummings.com.

For Immediate Release - August 13, 2001

Major Canadian Biotech Firm Moves to Wakefield

Westaim Biomedical Corporation, a major Canadian biotechnology firm, has reportedly leased 18,930 square feet of office and laboratory space at 50 Audubon Road in Wakefield. The property is owned, leased and managed by Cummings Properties, a Woburn based real estate development firm.

According to company officials, Westaim considered several sites along Route 128 before selecting the Audubon Road property. Cummings Properties' ability to quickly design and build the laboratory space to Westaim's specifications was said to be a major factor in Westaim's decision to locate with Cummings Properties.

"We are excited to add Westaim Biomedical to our growing number of tenants that specialize in biotechnology," said John Wiseman, leasing manager of Cummings Properties. "Their work is truly revolutionary, and we are pleased that we are able to provide them with the laboratory space they need."

Westaim Biomedical reportedly develops medical devices based on its Acticoat® antimicrobial technology. This is a patented method of applying a thin layer of antimicrobial silver to burns and wounds in order to promote healing. Their first commercial product, Acticoat® burn dressing, was launched in 1998 and is used in more than 100 major burn hospitals in North America.

Westaim was brought to Cummings Properties by Dave Lefebvre of Shanley Realtors and J. Ryan Blelagus of Cold Stream Real Estate Advisors. Their contact began when the newly selected president of Westaim Biomedical was looking for a home for both his family and his business.

Westaim Biomedical is a subsidiary of The Westaim Corporation of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The parent company specializes in launching high potential technologies into the marketplace, including e-business management software and a low-cost flat panel display company.

For Immediate Release - August 7, 2001

Fresh City Opens in Woburn

New Restaurant Joins Cummings Park

East Woburn now has a fresh new choice for food. According to company officials, Fresh City, a Newton based regional restaurant chain recently opened its seventh location at 4 Cummings Park, next to Staples. Founded by Larry and Bruce Reinstein, Fresh City reportedly has locations in Brookline, Newton, Boston, Connecticut and Pennsylvania, with more expected to follow.

Cummings Properties, is said to have worked with Fresh City's owners to design a space that would be unique and functional. Its in-house design and construction team completely change the facade of the Washington Street building and added new windows and landscaping.

"The 2,500 square foot shop is unique in the Cummings inventory," said John Wiseman, leasing manager for Cummings Properties. "We wanted to create a space as exciting and fresh as the Fresh City restaurant."

"Fresh City is very happy to become part of the Cummings family, and is excited to bring this type of quality product to people in the area," said Jim Miller, director of marketing for Fresh City. "We have had a very positive experience with Cummings Properties. They were attentive, responsive, proactive and able to immediately deal with every issue that came up."

Fresh City's mission is to be the "best food service company anywhere." Intended as an alternative to unimaginative fast food and restaurant chains, Fresh City offers its guests a variety of made to order meals at a series of food stations in each store.

Miller said the company's goal is to provide a great selection of fresh foods and the one-on-one, attentive service, normally associated with a full service restaurant. "Our goal is to make a connection with the people who come into the restaurant, whether they are looking for a quick meal or want to linger at a table," continued Miller, "their comfort is a priority."

To enhance its connection to the community, Fresh City has created its "Food for Thought" program. Each month the restaurant selects an item from the menu and donates a percentage of the sale proceeds to local school organizations. "Read Boston" and Woburn Public Library have been designated as recipients of this program.

"We try to become a part of the community wherever we open," stated Miller. "The owners are very happy to be in Woburn and look forward to becoming established members of the community." Fresh City’s Cummings Park restaurant is open Monday through Friday from 6:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., and Saturday 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Fresh City was represented by Mike DeGursippe of New England Realty Partners in the transaction. Wiseman and Derek Cook of Cummings Properties worked with DeGursippe and the Reinstein brothers to finalize the lease. All parties are reportedly delighted with the deal and the food.

For Immediate Release - August 1, 2001

Construction Rapid at New Horizons Marlborough

Woburn based Cummings Properties has begun phase two of a major expansion to its New Horizons retirement community in Marlborough. When complete, the new six-acre facility will reportedly add 130 one and two-bedroom apartments ranging from 900 to 2000 square feet.

"This multi-million dollar expansion will be the first senior housing complex Cummings Properties has built from the "ground up," said Robert O’Connor, New Horizon’s executive director. "This is a logical next step in expanding our continuum of care to seniors within an affordable retirement community," he added.

This latest construction began on the 40-acre campus in March 2001. The project, known as the "The Meadows" and located at 400 Hemenway Street, is just off US Route 20, near Longfellow’s historic Wayside Inn. The first building is fully erect and is presently being enclosed. O’Connor said the foundation for the second structure is almost complete, with steel erection scheduled to begin August 6.

Leasing reportedly has begun on the 130 units, which will mostly rent for between $1,500 to $1,800 per month. Occupancy for the first facility is expected in late December, and the second is scheduled for August of 2002.

Through the state’s Local Initiative Program, 15 units of the Meadows have been designated as affordable housing suites. The one and two bedroom units will rent for just $950 per month. Applications to participate in a September 6 lottery drawing for these apartments are available for persons over 70 years of age with incomes of less than $50,000.

O’Connor noted that Cummings Properties has designed the facility to meet the changing needs and preferences of its population. "At New Horizons seniors in all areas of the community have direct access to a wide range of amenities and services. The community allows seniors to draw from these on-site services rather than have to relocate whenever a lifestyle change occurs," he said.

Opened in 1994 New Horizons was built from Marlborough’s former Madonna Hall School, which provided housing and education for disadvantaged young women, under the auspices of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd. In the late 1980s, the program declined as it lost funding. Cummings Properties purchased the site in 1993 and began a complete renovation as New Horizons retirement community.

Although the facility is now completely non-denominational, 34 Sisters of the Good Shepherd still reside on-site in a separate rebuilt Convent. The new buildings will accommodate fully independent seniors, some of whom may in future years need either the nearby assisted living services or Alzheimer-care facilities.

For Immediate Release - November 15, 2000

Comments by Bill Cummings

BEVERLY - I much appreciate the invitation to be here this evening. I am honored, and certainly very flattered, that so many have chosen to come. What more could a business person ask for than a smart, friendly, business-savvy audience like this?

When John called in August to invite me here, I think I accepted even before he finished asking. And then he went on and reminded me that Ted Kennedy was last year's speaker, and that Doris Kearns Goodwin and some other very impressive people have also addressed you in recent years. . . I quickly wondered if I had done the right thing.

Mark Twain once said, and I quote, "It takes three weeks to prepare a good impromptu speech.." Perhaps that is why John gave me three months to worry about this one!

Indeed, two weeks ago my wife Joyce and I were privileged to be in the front row at an event with General Colin Powell, and I was almost mesmerized while closely watching the General's superb delivery.

After that I thought I might get a little rise out of Bob Bradford. . . I suggested to Bob that instead of having me here tonight, perhaps he should have coughed up a 70 or $80,000 fee and brought in a real speaker like General Powell. Well, Bob quickly declined, and I am excited to be here in the General's place.

Earlier, John also mentioned three newspapers we started from scratch: the Woburn Advocate, Stoneham Sun and Winchester Town Crier. These involved nothing at all like John's responsibility for running a chain of large daily newspapers, but we did build to a weekly circulation of 32,000, and the papers were a real adventure. Joyce calls the newspapers my mid-life crisis. And she told me she hoped it would be my only one.

Our papers always strove for a positive point of view. We worked diligently to insure that the very vocal minority - the vocal negative minority, which every community seems to have, never dominated our coverage of anything. These newspapers had a very idealistic life until Fidelity came along with the proverbial bagfull of money, and convinced us to sell out after three years.

Divesting of the newspapers then gave us the capacity to deal with Beverly. It has been just five years now since Governor Weld and Mayor Scanlan joined Jamie McKeown and me at a press conference to announce our agreement to purchase "The Shoe," from The Black & Decker Corporation.

The movie "The Crucible" was being filmed inside the building that day. Both the movie director and the crew were beside themselves because of the noise of the press helicopter we hired, which stayed around for two hours giving aerial tours. The director told one of us that Winona Ryder was inside her trailer having a temper tantrum, and wouldn't come out till we left.

Afterwards, one of the newspapers reported the aircraft as "Bill Cummings' private helicopter." Joyce asked me how I had ever managed to keep my chopper hidden from her for so long.

Although both local newspapers here have caused some consternation from time to time, in balance, they have been really great. They focussed on the positive and very much created the strong community enthusiasm that then motivated us to constantly do the right thing with the redevelopment of "The Shoe."

The North Shore Chamber has also been highly supportive and effective from the beginning. We are very appreciative of your board's willingness to speak up and be heard on a number of occasions.

You might also think about the role that so many of YOU played in making Cummings Center what it is today. Of almost $60 million invested now in the restoration, $18.2 million in services and materials have so far come from Essex County suppliers! The direct contributions of so many of you have been absolutely critical, and for that we are also very grateful.

As a matter of trivia interest, I will tell you I am probably related to more than a few people here, through some very deep North Shore roots. My many times great grandfather, Deacon Isaac Cummings, was the very first Cummings in America, when he settled very near here in 1638. Other very early ancestors here were Townes, and Hoods, and Perkins, and Andrews.

I was born 300 years later and grew up in Medford, very much a product of the Great Depression. My earliest memory of home was a tiny flat directly above a liquor store and a laundromat on Salem St. in Medford. Four of us lived there in a one-bedroom apartment, probably as poorly as any family in that city at the time.

Much later, with a lot of part-time jobs, a Tufts scholarship, and tuition then of just $310 per semester, I was able to attend and then graduate from Tufts in 1958.

Thereafter, I traveled constantly for six years in national sales positions, first with the old Vicks Vaporub people. That job offered low salary, but extraordinary experience, and was featured in Jack Kerouac's famous book ON THE ROAD.

In 1961 I came to work on the North Shore for the first time, and spent several years selling with Gortons of Gloucester. I was very fortunate to have two wonderful mentors at Gortons - its late President Paul Jacobs and its Chairman Bob Kinne - whom some of you likely knew and respected as much as I did.

After Gortons, I used my life's savings in 1964 to purchase a tiny, but very old food products manufacturing business, that was once the Old Medford Rum Company. The best thing about that business was meeting Joyce, while making sales calls in the kitchen at Mass Eye and Ear Infirmary. Joyce was the hospital dietician. When she started telling me how much the patients enjoyed our Old Medford fruit punch . . . that's when I knew she and I really had something going.

After six years, we used the proceeds from selling that company to finance the first Cummings Park building in Woburn, in 1970. It is much too long a story to cover here, but that was the real beginning of Cummings Properties, and the real estate development business just grew on from there. . . Far beyond my wildest expectations.

Thirty years later, Cummings Properties is a group of more than 200 regular full time employees, with some really incredible people. Many of you know our Beverly general manager, Gerry McSweeney, who is one of the tops. We all operate almost 8 million square feet of mostly commercial real estate, with more than $100 million in annual volume.

We have a major Employee Stock Ownership Program, and also a 401(k) plan, with a large company match. These help us to have a very stable organization with an extraordinary team of dedicated, long-term staff.

Getting back to tonight, and having told you a little about the real Bill Cummings, let me share with you some very enlightening new statistics about the effects of Cummings Center on the North Shore's sharply increasing prosperity. Then we can conclude with a little about Cummings Properties' business philosophy and "entrepreneurship."

In its day, United Shoe Machinery Corporation was a remarkably worker-friendly place, and it once gave this area the highest per capita standard of living of any metropolitan area in America. We do not have recent figures for Beverly alone, but the average Essex County family income today is reportedly growing faster than any other county in Massachusetts, and probably New England.

For five years Cummings Center has been an enormous undertaking that at the peak of its restoration employed 300-400 construction workers every day, for more than two years straight. It has been described as the largest single-building restoration project in the country. We will never be anything like the single dominant force that USMC once was, nor would we want to be, but the collective impact of Cummings Center is fully comparable, and the numbers are eye-opening -- even for us.

There was a survey in August of the 310 firms then in the complex, and we discovered some very interesting, previously unpublicized facts. We learned first that several Cummings Center firms pay salaries which actually average more than $100,000! The overall average weighted salary reported by the then-current tenants who responded was a very respectable $45,480. The unweighted average was a quite remarkable $54,873!

We also determined that, with a total of 3,900 people already working at Cummings Center, the total salaries paid by Cummings Center firms, in the year 2000… the total salaries paid this year alone will exceed $177 million! What a payroll!

And as you consider the impact of that $177 million being pumped into area homes each year, remember that it represents only the salaries paid by these Cummings Center businesses. Furthermore, it represents only the salaries of only those firms which had moved by last August.

Just a few more figures. . . Allowing for inflation and growth, by the time the current real estate tax incentive program for Cummings Center is over. . . By the time this so-called TIF program is over in 2005, there will have been more than $2 billion paid at Cummings Center in salaries alone. . . More than $2 billion dollars in the first 10 years! I'll bet you like that figure, Mr. Mayor.

And consider also the ripple effect of that and all the other money these hundreds of businesses are spending locally. Most of them are, and every single one of them should be, looking for more local suppliers, and working at putting their roots deep into the community. I told Mayor Scanlon just last week, that with all this economic benefit he should think about extending the tax incentive program a few more years . . . He did have a good laugh, but I think he might have scowled a little at first.

And then he confided me, he will absolutely run again for mayor - at least three more times. He said he wants to personally deliver the first real estate tax bill, once Cummings Center is assessed on a full-value basis.

Folks, I didn't bring any blank leases with me tonight, so I can't sign anyone up for new space with us. But no matter where in the area you may be, think about how much you can do to promote regional business. Remember that whatever business we all do with other North Shore firms, it has a major multiplier effect on our local economy, no matter what happens elsewhere.

And think about ways that you can benefit from supplying more of these new Beverly firms. Perhaps you should advertise more. . . Perhaps the local papers should target Cummings Center to boost their circulation there. Perhaps more businesses there should be joining this Chamber. . . and we would be glad to help.

And to help all of you reach into Cummings Center, a complete, somewhat sacrosanct, mailing list of all Cummings Center tenants has been posted on our Web site. This is temporarily available for the first time, now, at cummings.com. . . that's: www.cummings.com. Going back to General Powell, I should say that is one thing the General couldn't have done!

That "dot com" term, by the way, is very significant at Cummings Center. . . In a recent cover story, one national magazine wrote that Cummings Center was making Beverly "the dot com capital of the Dot Commonwealth." Just two weeks ago, in Chicago, BUILDINGS magazine recognized Cummings Center as its "Building Restoration 'Project of the Year' - National Grand Prize" winner.

Cummings Center has indeed become a dot com center. But far more broadly, it is a high tech center. Almost half of all businesses there are directly involved with computer hardware or software, or with biotech, or pharmaceutical, or medical research of some type. Although we and so many other North Shore developments from Lynn to Gloucester have been enormously buoyed by the flow of this cyber river and its myriad of tributaries, it also brings very major risks. At Cummings Center we have already flushed away the effluent from a dozen high-flyers that just didn't make it.

And while our development brings together one of the greatest concentrations of high tech businesses in Massachusetts, Shetland Park in Salem and Centennial Park in Peabody are also very prominent, as is Flatley Company in Beverly. Eaton Corporation, and C P Clare, and ABIOMED, all out on Route 128, also bring huge benefits to the region.

Many of these firms report much success, by the way, with employee staffing, which is such a troublesome issue closer to the City. So many North Shore residents now realize that they no longer have to drive to Cambridge or Boston, or other points south, to find great employment. Many local firms are pulling hundreds of commuters right off Route 128.

Educationally, many workers at Cummings Center are now taking college courses right in the same building where they are employed. North Shore Community College, Emmanuel College, and Lesley College all have satellite campuses at Cummings Center with year-round day and evening classes. Many of these classes are especially designed to address the defined needs of employers throughout the area.

North Shore Community College has done a particularly remarkable job of reaching out to major employers and marketing itself. Most of you are aware of its latest bold step in establishing its Technology Center at the former Kelly Infinity location.

I'll tell you a quick story about how the college almost opened at Cummings Center without even signing a lease. Based only on the word of the president, and assurances from the Foundation, which works so effectively behind the scenes, we actually built-out the entire 18,000 square foot facility with no signed lease! We never had a lease until 12 hours before classes began!

All of you who run successful enterprises have learned that there are very few rules or pat answers in business. In most growing businesses you must find the right answers as you go along. Good business, in my opinion, is so much more about instincts and hard work, than it is about advanced degrees or formulas for success.

I sometimes teach that business is like a golf game. What a dull game golf would be if playing the game meant hitting every ball down the middle of the fairway. Instead, most people hit to the left or they hit to the right, and then they decide how to go on from there. Like a golf game, running a business is constantly reacting to changing conditions, and evaluating and re-evaluating our approach -- all the time. Banks may love to see business plans, but any notion that a successful business can be all planned out in advance, and not be constantly adjusted is total foolishness! And speaking of golf, a few people here could tell you that running a business well, is a whole lot easier for me, than playing golf well!

Another very common element of business success is the willingness to take risks. It's so easy to be too cautious! I'm not talking about betting the whole store on anything, but taking chances is part of the essence of any entrepreneurial business. In business it is frequently necessary to push the "start button" well-before every contingency can be explored.

And then again, just like golf, we must be prepared to tack in a different direction whenever necessary, or simply because better opportunities come along. The important thing is in knowing what the downside risks are, and calculating the odds for success. We must know the risks and calculate the odds for success.

Think of "The Shoe" as an extreme risk. (And every banker in this room once shared that view!) There were a million things we didn't know about that place at the beginning, and to be abundantly honest with you, we had no idea where we were going!

Five years ago this week we were still scratching our heads, wondering what we had gotten ourselves into. Our friends were still asking, "why did you do it"? And every single one of them was prepared to laugh at any answer we might offer.

On the other hand, we were fully obligated to buy the property, and we just went ahead and started leasing space. We once thought we might spend about $5 million, to correct building code deficiencies, and to replace the antiquated heating system. By October 1996 we more than doubled that estimate to the $13 million which we promised to invest under the TIF program.

Rather than using up those first two years trying to "figure things out," we began construction - even before we passed papers. Many problems at first seemed insurmountable. But by December, 1997 we managed to spend more than $18 million… already $5 million more than we had committed to under the TIF.

By that point, almost all of the oily patches were cleaned up. But what would our chances have been, even then, in convincing any bank in its right mind to provide that $18 million? Don't even ask about ever getting financing for the sharply escalating $30 million, then $40 million, or finally $60 million that we ultimately invested (so far) in The Shoe?

Although those numbers might sound a little like "the Big Dig," there was never any budget at all at Cummings Center, and so by definition there was no underestimation of costs! Instead, we simply reacted to changing opportunities, and to a rapidly evolving market. We repeatedly expanded both our vision and our goals, as we went along.

We enjoyed a priceless opportunity to restore the "Grande Dame of New England's industrial past," as my late colleague fondly called "The Shoe." Now, starting Phase II of Cummings Center, we will spend another $25 million to construct several fine new buildings to be its neighbors.

For the most part, successful entrepreneurs make things happen, by never letting up and by constantly reevaluating and optimizing - that's a good word, "optimizing" whatever the situation might be.

And having often made many things happen, Cummings Properties tries to never lose track of its relationship with the many communities it serves. We think it is absolutely vital for businesses to actively support selected charitable activities in the communities from which they derive their earnings and from which their employees come. At least 10 percent of all Cummings Properties' pre-tax earnings have gone to philanthropy for the last 15 years.

After our families, there are few other things more important in our daily lives than enjoying the work we do - whatever it is. It is a real blessing to love your work, and I still very much love mine.

Let me also say - anyone who doesn't really enjoy the challenge of running a business, should never do it! Even more so when it comes to spending 60 or 80 hours a week starting a new business. I try to carefully balance my time, but there certainly are days when I still feel guilty for spending too much time at work, or even for enjoying it too much.

Your retiring chairman's newspaper once editorialized that Cummings Properties built a national reputation for turning old industrial buildings into "temples of high tech industry." In October 1997 The Wall Street Journal described Cummings Center as "the single most important concrete structure in the country." Governor Weld described it as a "major economic engine" for all of Massachusetts. . . It is, indeed, all of those things, and more.

Ladies and gentlemen, we are delighted to be an important part of all that makes the North Shore so wonderful. These are extraordinary days, and while they will not go on forever, everything we see continues to make us bullishly optimistic. This is an extremely exciting time with unparalleled opportunities and challenges.

In closing, let me remind you that while you may or may not be smarter than your competition, you can always outwork them and make your businesses succeed. Similarly, you will achieve success in whatever role you select in life, when you are willing to make that success important enough.

More than anything else. . . more than anything else, it is in believing that you will achieve. And it is in believing in yourself that will achieve the ultimate success.

For Immediate Release - October, 2000

Cummings Properties Expands in Beverly

BEVERLY- Woburn developer Cummings Properties, LLC has announced a major expansion at its existing 1.7 million square foot landmark office and research complex in Beverly known as Cummings Center. Two very similar buildings will be added of 148,000 square feet each.

Acquired in 1996, the mammoth former manufacturing headquarters of United Shoe Machinery Corporation has been transformed into a sparkling office park in one of the largest recycling projects in the United States. The historic building was described as "the single most important, and generally unrecognized, concrete landmark in this century," by architecture critic Ada Louise Huxtable in 1997.

According to Cummings Center general manager Gerry McSweeney, Cummings Center's success stems from the growth of existing tenants, along with many new tenants, and has been driving the need for further expansion. Cummings Properties' initial expansion proposal was for a single 12-story structure, but was changed to two three-story buildings containing the same square footage, when height became an issue in the community.

Now in the final aspects of Site Plan Review with the city, the first new three-story, first-class office building is expected to be underway in February, 2001. Bruce Oveson, the lead in-house architect for the expansion, said, "Cummings Properties has worked very hard to design attractive, modern buildings that will both compliment and preserve the historical appeal of the existing structures which were completed mostly about 1906."

The exterior of the new buildings will be a combination of exposed aggregate concrete panels and bronze ribbon window glazing. There will be five curved glass curtain-wall bays, which will compliment the in-fills and additions of the existing center.

After suffering from decades of neglect, "The Shoe" and its more than 39 acres of existing floor space are now fully restored, according to Oveson. He said the sprawling 80 acre office park is also more than 90 percent leased, and that approximately 3,700 people are again working in the complex.

Cummings Center also features a large number of support services on its 80 acre campus. Included are a major health club, a 125-child Bright Horizons Daycare, two full-service banks, and several restaurants. There are also three dental offices, Beverly Hospital physicians practice, accountants, lawyers, travel agencies and three colleges which offer day and evening courses and/or full degree programs there.

According to McSweeney, one of the most serendipitous features for most tenant firms is the ready availability of personnel. Tenant firms, he said, have been highly successful in tapping into the vast number of potential employees who formerly commuted by road and rail from all over the North Shore into Boston and Cambridge and other points to the south.

Both new buildings, will be set at the north end of the property between the North Shore Athletic Club and the James L. McKeown Elementary, directly overlooking Upper Shoe Pond. Typical of the Cummings process pace on construction projects, McSweeney promises it will be ready for its first occupants in late 2001.

For Immediate Release - October, 2000

Beverly's landmark Cummings Center grabs national spotlight

BEVERLY - After recognition earlier this year as the first place award winner from BOMA (Building Owners & Managers Association), Beverly's landmark Cummings Center was selected as Buildings magazine's Year 2000 National Grand Prize Winner, in its prestigious annual building modernization competition. Beverly resident Eric Anderson recently traveled to Chicago to receive the 2000 Modernization Award on behalf of Cummings Properties.

The 1.7 million square foot Cummings Center was lauded for its innovative approach to modernization and its effective reuse of a former derelict industrial property. "Recreating 'The Shoe' as a high-tech office and research park, the developer worked to successfully blend the best from the past with all the future has to offer," the magazine stated.

The national awards ceremony was held at the Clarion Barceló Hotel on October 20. According to Buildings magazine, the prestigious annual competition included scores of entries. Cummings Center, however, distinguished itself as the overall national modernization award winner, based largely, it stated, on Cummings' innovative formula of working with the inherent characteristics of the facility.

"Project Architect Bruce Oveson has created hip, industrial-looking office space. Exposed girders, rough square columns, high ceilings, and pitched roofs attribute to the unique environment," cited the magazine. When the award-winning renovation began, overall building tenancy was reportedly less than 10 percent. Today, only four years later, occupancy has grown to more than 90 percent, according to Cummings Center general manager Gerry McSweeney.

"Our tenants are refugees from Cambridge and MIT; they are the wellspring of the technological companies in eastern Massachusetts," McSweeney said, describing the influx of highly specialized businesses into what formerly housed heavy manufacturing and early 20th century industry. Indeed, the magazine cited that "because of the success of the Cummings Center, Beverly is well on its way of becoming the dot.com capitol of Massachusetts…"

Buildings cited a primary tenet of the project's success as being its eclectic mix of on-site amenities. Cummings Center offers many, on-campus benefits: computer training rooms, restaurants, conference rooms, and health club facilities, as well as a large (120-child) Bright Horizons day care center.

Other important amenities include two full service banks, travel agencies, attorneys, accountants, three dental offices, a very popular chiropractic facility and Cummings Center Medical Associates, a physician practice affiliated with Beverly Hospital. There are also on-site branches of Emmanuel College, North Shore Community College, and Lesley College, which together serve more than 1,000 students each week.

In this unique self-sustaining approach, "Cummings Properties strives to create a sense of community among its large body of tenants. Companies are encouraged to use each other's services. In addition to referrals, Cummings Properties promotes its tenants free-of-charge," the periodical said. Oveson described this practice as an example of his firm's strong philosophy of achieving success through the collective success of its tenants.

"This massive project took substantial community support. Along with the site's distinction as a Massachusetts Economic Opportunity Area, the Brownfields Initiative was critical to the company's clean-up of decades of industrial pollution on surrounding land," noted McSweeney. He noted the restoration has cost $53 million, and involved more than 300 workers every day at its peak.

Buildings concluded that "What makes this modernization remarkable -- beyond its epic scope -- is the true appreciation of the facility and its importance to the surrounding community. Cummings Center's success represents a return of something precious."

The first runner-up project was the restoration of a major New York City landmark, and its conversion to the new Graduate Center at City University of New York. Another major winner, also in New York, was Loews' new E Walk Theatre at 42nd Street in New York City.

The restoration phase of Cummings Center is virtually done, Oveson noted. "Plans are now underway to add several hundred thousand square feet of new floor space to complete Cummings Center," he said. The primary land to be used for this will be the undeveloped Brownfields portion along Balch Street, where large quantities of oil soaked materials were mixed with cement and spread out for future parking lots in 1998.

For Immediate Release - October 3, 2000

Salem Nurses move to Beverly

BEVERLY - The Visiting Nurse Association (VNA) of Greater Salem, the non-profit home care division of Salem Hospital, has recently relocated its offices into a brand new 26,000 square foot headquarters facility at Cummings Center.

The organization has provided quality home health care services to residents of the North Shore community for more than 100 years. VNA of Greater Salem reportedly has more than 650 full and part-time employees who will be working out of the new Beverly facility.

The VNA is a member of Partners Health Care System, Inc. It provides services to most North Shore communities and hospitals, including home health care, such as specialty nursing care, rehabilitation services, private duty services, etc. "Other services include onsite flu shots, blood pressure screenings, and blood sugar screening clinics for companies," a spokesperson said.

The VNA's new facility is located at 800 Cummings Center. A major portion of that building has recently been transformed from large high bay warehouse to two floors of upscale office space. According to Joseph Lumino, of Cummings Center, "Just six months ago, we had massive cranes in this same space to process and distribute steel. Today the cranes have been replaced with shiny desks and computers." The former tenant, with its large fleet of huge flatbed trailer trucks, was the last major truck user in the former heavy industrial center.

According to Lumino, "We are delighted to have the VNA at Cummings Center. It seems very natural that they selected the former Shoe as their new site, since both share such very long and diverse histories here on the North Shore."

For Immediate Release - October, 2000

Cummings Properties Expands in Marlborough

MARLBOROUGH- Woburn developer Cummings Properties, LLC has announced expansion of its existing 250-resident retirement community in Marlborough.

The 30-year-old firm said work will begin in November on two major independent living apartment buildings. The buildings, to be set adjacent to Cummings' large New Horizons at Marlborough facility, will add 130 new luxury apartments for seniors.



Last August the city of Marlborough issued a Special Permit to New Horizons, to expand facilities on its 40-acre campus at 400 Hemenway Street. That permit authorized construction of the two new buildings, to be named "The Ledges" and "The Meadows," at 360 and 420 Hemmenway Street, respectively.

According to New Horizons' executive director Robert D. O'Connor, "Once the expansion is complete in late 2001, New Horizons will become one of the largest, most comprehensive retirement communities in the northeast."

O'Connor said that 90 of the new apartments will be fully independent two-bedroom units. "They'll have ready access to myriad on-site health services. The large apartments will accommodate one or two residents each, one of whom must be at least 65 years old upon his or her next birthday," he explained.

Michael H. Pascavage, AIA, Cummings Properties' president and lead architect for the Marlborough expansion, noted that "Cummings Properties is looking closely at the new unit layouts, taking into consideration comments from prospective residents and those who have already submitted deposits."

Pascavage also indicated that his firm's in-house design team has benefited significantly from this early feedback, allowing it to modify initial plans to more precisely reflect future resident needs and preferences. Many of the units themselves will be very similar to those completed in a prior luxury Cummings development in Woburn, he said. Cummings completed the highly successful 150-unit Place Lane Condominium in that city in 1986.

Each unit in The Meadows will feature a very generous floor plan, including one or two bedrooms, living room, private fully-applianced kitchen, full bath, installed washer and dryer, and individual climate controls. All kitchens will include disposals and dishwashers.

"Many units will have sunny exterior balconies," O'Connor said, "and a den, office, or sewing room, as well." Although pricing has yet to be determined, O'Connor said it is expected to be in the $1,200 to $1,500 range, depending primarily on unit size. All units will be actively marketed to people of diverse economic and cultural/ethnic backgrounds.

Residents of The Meadows and The Ledges will reportedly have the option to purchase additional amenities and services. "There will be optional meals in luxurious common dining rooms, and a comprehensive activities program including local transportation and use of a very large indoor swimming pool," O'Connor said.

O'Connor, who has directed the adjacent New Horizons facility since its August 1994 opening, said interest in the new buildings is already very high. "Without even advertising yet, or any sort of groundbreaking, we've already had dozens of families inquire about the project. The priority reservation list is well underway," he stated.

O'Connor's enthusiasm for the new development is bolstered by this early public interest which, he said, is indicative of what he noted is "a great need for this type of senior housing in the area. The project will be unique in its wide diversity of lifestyle options, much greater than either any typical independent or assisted living community."

"As we get older, we don't necessarily want to have to move from our homes to maintain our independence. Once residents move into The Ledges or The Meadows, they will have almost every foreseeable amenity or service available to them on-site. That's the key component to being able to maintain independence," O'Connor continued.

O'Connor said his staff, comprised of almost 100 predominately Marlborough area residents, are "ready to serve the additional 130-plus new residents the expansion will bring. We expect to provide the same high quality of service to our newest residents of The Meadows and The Ledges, that we have offered our existing New Horizons residents for the past six years."

Pascavage noted that the multi-million dollar project will be the first senior complex his firm has built from the "ground up." "New Horizons in Marlborough was a complete renovation of the former Madonna Hall School for Girls. Not-for-profit New Horizons in Woburn was built within the former Choate Memorial Hospital there. Our team is enthusiastic about this new challenge. As usual, we also hope to work with several local contractors during construction," he said.

For Immediate Release - October 3, 2000

James L. McKeown Memorial Interchange

This really is a great day! “This is a day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad!” Certainly it is a very bittersweet occasion, but we all need to remember that, most of all, today is a day to celebrate! Bridges have been built for thousands of years, but these two bridges are certainly the most beautiful! In the beginning we built bridges to take us over rivers. Now we build them to take us over highways, too, or even entire cities. Every day we build bridges of love, and we build bridges of understanding. We build bridges to take us where we otherwise could not go - and how true that was of Jamie.

When Senate President Birmingham announced the naming of these bridges, during last year’s Annual Meeting of the Woburn Business Association, he told of Jamie’s visit to his office five years earlier. Jamie was there to personally lobby, if you will, for the construction of this interchange. Long before that, Jamie worked with Ralph Bergman of the Woburn Redevelopment Authority, asking the WRA to help promote this interchange as well.

On behalf of the McKeown family I very much thank each and every one of you for your presence today, as we all, with our presence, help to dedicate this superb new James L. McKeown Memorial Interchange. Most of all, however, I thank Woburn Representative Carol Donovan and Senator Bob Havern for their critical roles in making this event a reality. (Let’s all show our special appreciation.) Introduce Denise, Molly, Kelly and Lennie - In just a few minutes I think that Kelly and Molly. . .

In addition to being a wonderful husband and father, Jamie McKeown had many other important roles in this community. He had a 35-year association with Woburn Boys and Girls Club. As many of you know, he was the first former student member ever to be later elected a director of the Woburn Boys and Girls Club. Later he was the youngest person ever to serve as its president. Jamie became president of Cummings Properties at age 34, and served also as the first managing trustee of New Horizons at Choate retirement community. He was also a past president of the Woburn Business Association, and was treasurer of the Woburn Industrial Development and Finance Authority. He held numerous other positions in the town where he was born and brought up and where he spent his entire working life.

Jamie believed fervently in the importance of integrity. He taught others that integrity was not something we have some of the time, or most of the time, or even almost all of the time. And he believed that if he didn’t have integrity every minute of every day, he didn’t have it at all.

One of Jamie’s overriding goals in life was to earn the respect of his family and his friends. He accomplished this through his unwavering reputation for dependability, honesty and fair dealing. And the respect that so many of us had for Jamie is, I am sure, why so many of us are here at this dedication today.

Let us ask God to protect all of those who will use this marvelous new interchange. Let us thank God for the opportunity so many of us had to know and love the fine person in whose name and memory these bridges now stand.

For Immediate Release - October 3, 2000

New flyover bridges open on I-93

WOBURN - On Tuesday, October 3, the commonwealth of Massachusetts dedicated its newest highway interchange, in Woburn.

The James L. McKeown Memorial Interchange on Route I-93 was opened at 5:00 PM. Many federal, state, and local officials were on hand to honor the man for whom the interchange is named. They also heralded what they hope will be a major improvement for commuters traveling along the Route 128 / I-93 corridors. Also present were McKeown's wife Denise, their two daughters, Molly and Kelly, and dozens of other family, friends, and business associates.

The two new flyover bridges are expected to handle 14,000 to 15,000 vehicles per day, with up to 800 per hour during rush hour. State officials anticipate major relief for the intersection of I-93 and I-95, one mile to the south, long regarded as one of the busiest in the state.

Many in the communities served by the new interchange are also remembering the young real estate executive and marathoner in whose honor it is now named. James L. McKeown was a 41-year-old Winchester resident at the time of his sudden death in November 1996.

McKeown was a community leader and the young president of Woburn-based Cummings Properties. He was widely regarded throughout the Boston area for his integrity, community involvement, and strong sense of business ethics.

Although McKeown maintained many civic and philanthropic involvements, a generation or more of Woburnites knew him best through his lifelong role at the Woburn Boys and Girls Club.

At the club, where long-timers say McKeown practically grew up, he later taught hundreds of Woburn youth to swim while he attended Salem State College. As an adult, he became the first former Boys Club member ever to be elected to the club's board of directors. McKeown then also served two terms as its youngest president. In addition, he was the managing trustee of not-for-profit New Horizons at Choate, a 125-unit retirement community in Woburn.

McKeown's community involvements also included presidency of the Woburn Business Association between 1991 and 1993, and treasurership of the Woburn Industrial Development Finance Authority. It was in these two capacities, as well as in his long-time executive role at Cummings Properties, that McKeown actively lobbied state officials for the construction of the new interchange in Woburn.

Speaking at the dedication, Cummings Properties' founder Bill Cummings said, "Jamie believed fervently in the importance of integrity. He taught others that integrity was not something we have some of the time, or most of the time, or even almost all of the time. And he believed that if he didn't have integrity every minute of every day, he didn't have it at all."

In another major tribute, in 1998, the city of Beverly named its new school in McKeown's honor. The James L. McKeown Elementary School is immediately adjacent to Cummings Center. Ironically, it was just three days before his death that McKeown met with Beverly's Mayor William Scanlon and City Council members at the site. He arranged for Cummings Properties' donation of a $1.3 million parcel of land for construction of the school now named in his honor.

According to Bill Cummings, "Cummings Properties would never have been in Beverly if not for Jamie. His vision and drive brought us to the North Shore and motivated the company to undertake what some have referred to as the largest recycling project in the United States." Today that fully restored 1.7 million square foot office park is home to 400 businesses.

Immediately after McKeown's death, Cummings Foundation (of which he was the former managing trustee) established the McKeown Scholars Program in his memory. The program now provides scholarships totaling $150,000 every year in eight local communities. Since inception it has awarded more than a half-million dollars in scholarships between $1,000 and $5,000 to hundreds of accomplished high school seniors.

A picture of James L. McKeown may be found by clicking www.cummings.com/james.html. Pictures of the James L. McKeown Elementary School and the James L. McKeown Interchange may be viewed by clicking http://www.cummings.com/timages/school.jpg, and www.cummings.com/bridge.html, respectively.

For Immediate Release - July, 2000

Woburn's New Horizons celebrates 10 years

WOBURN -- Just last week, not-for-profit New Horizons at Choate retirement community celebrated its tenth anniversary. Over 475 guests attended to mark the significant milestone, observed with a gala outdoor reception and live Dixieland jazz.

It all began in 1989 as a mission by Cummings Properties Foundation to rescue Woburn's former Charles Choate Memorial Hospital. A little more than a decade later, that mission has developed into a thriving community, greatly enhancing the lives of 126 senior citizens.

"We knew this year had to be extra special," said New Horizons' executive director Barbara Whalen of Swampscott. "Even though we celebrate New Horizons' anniversary annually, this year is extra special, because it also marks the 150th anniversary of our original building core. It was built in 1850 by prominent Woburn resident Charles Choate as his family's personal mansion house. Add to that the arrival of the new century, and it all conspired for a great party!" Whalen added.

According to Whalen, New Horizons is now home to 126 residents in independent, assisted, and Alzheimer's care programs, the latter two operated by Winchester Hospital and Hearthstone Alzheimer Care, respectively. "We particularly have a strong local connection, with 49 percent of our residents coming directly from Woburn, Stoneham, Winchester, Medford, and Arlington," Whalen said.

Indeed, anniversary guests were treated to a great al fresco party, featuring a culinary smorgasbord, dancing to the Ragtime Rowdies Dixieland quintet, tours of the community, and special recognition of New Horizons' pioneer residents and staff. "We honored not only the several staff members who have been with us since we opened," Whalen explained, "but also a few original residents and our oldest resident who just turned 99. That resident was born just around the time that Choate Hospital was established!"

Whalen refers to the prominent medical institution which catered to thousands of New Englanders for nearly 80 years, prior to the hospital's bankruptcy in the late 1980s. "For decades, the facility treated not only Woburn area residents, but also other New Englanders who often came from much greater distances for the hospital's outstanding care and reputation," Whalen said. "The hospital's closure was such a dark event for so many people," she added.

"Just 11 years ago, if you asked anyone what was to become of the former Choate Hospital, the response likely would have included reference to a wrecking ball," said State Rep. Carol Donovan, a volunteer trustee of New Horizons since 1995.

"Today, the property is completely transformed into one of the area's finest not-for-profit retirement communities, and it has even served as the state model for assisted living. Not only has New Horizons preserved the Choate family's original mission of maintaining the property as a charitable community resource, but it also offers seniors an ongoing unbeatable bargain. Rents for residents have not increased in five years!" Donovan added.

In addition to Donovan, 11 other volunteer trustees serve rotating three-year terms on New Horizons' board. "We have a wide cross-section of prominent community leaders on the board," Whalen explained. "Their diverse experiences and promotion of New Horizons' charitable mission are great assets to our community," she said. The facility also receives ongoing sponsorship and pro-bono legal, administrative, and construction services from its founder, Cummings Properties.

"As a not-for-profit facility, New Horizons also owns and operates the attached Choate Medical Center," Whalen said. "The medical center features a variety of health care resources for residents and members of the local community as well. An added bonus is that all medical center rents directly subsidize living costs for our residents. This is an important testimony in New Horizons' underlying charitable premise," she added.

"I moved here six years ago because New Horizons is close to my children and the facility was the best around," said one resident. "You just get a good feeling here- good people, good neighborhood, good everything. When something is that obvious, you take advantage of it!" she added.

Whalen said that New Horizons has steadily maintained full occupancy, but that prospective residents may register for the community's short waiting list. For more information about New Horizons, contact Barbara Whalen at 781-932-8000, or visit www.cummings.com and click on Retirement Living.

For Immediate Release - May 15, 2000

CUMMINGS AWARDS $150,000 IN 2000 COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIPS

"Identify what you believe to be the single most significant issue or problem facing your community at present, and prepare a persuasive argument to convince your city/town administrators to act upon your proposed solution to the issue/problem."

Essay topic for scholarship competition 2000
McKeown Scholars Program/Cummings Foundation

WOBURN - It wasn't easy. The challenge for selected Massachusetts high school seniors was to write an essay, in just one hour, on a pre-determined subject. The potential reward was $5,000 merit scholarships toward college tuition.

Cummings Properties, LLC of Woburn started the McKeown Scholars Program in 1996 to honor its late president, former Winchester resident James L. McKeown, who died unexpectedly of heart failure in November 1996 at age 41. McKeown was well known throughout the Boston business community for his outstanding professional expertise, as well as his mild manner, unwavering integrity, compassion, and far reaching desire to provide opportunities to others, particularly young people.

Rob Nigro, executive director of Cummings Properties Foundation, explained that Cummings Properties has no direct involvement in the selection of winners. "The merit concept of these awards is very important to our firm. During his life, Jamie McKeown stood for recognizing achievement and providing opportunities for others, particularly young people," Nigro said.

"These programs perpetuate that goal, and reward outstanding youth as our future leaders," he added. Nigro said students were also required to submit formal applications and undergo personal interviews. Essays were scored anonymously by school English department officials, not only for overall writing quality, but also for innovative thinking and effectiveness in persuading readers to take action. Nigro said evaluation committees at each school then selected overall winners. "We have no direct involvement in selecting winners," he explained. "That's left up to individual school selection committees, to promote a more effective, fair, and manageable process."

$150,000 in total awards

In addition to the McKeown Scholars awards, Cummings Properties is awarding a total of $60,000 in $1,000 Cummings Properties Merit Awards to 60 additional top high school seniors, who previously graduated from James L. McKeown Elementary (McKay) School and Ayers Ryal Side Elementary School in Beverly; and Goodyear Elementary School and Linscott Rumford Elementary School in Woburn (known as the Mayor Thomas M. Higgins Awards). Also, Kane Elementary School in Marlboro (known as the New Horizons Merit Awards); Dame Elementary School in Medford; and East Somerville Elementary School in Somerville. "These are all schools that are close neighbors of Cummings Properties facilities in their respective communities," Nigro said. "It's an opportunity to foster scholastic dedication and recognition in our nearby neighborhoods."

Information on the McKeown Scholars and Cummings Properties Merit Awards programs is available at participating high schools. Scholarship winners from all years are posted on Cummings Properties' website, www.cummings.com. To date, scholarship awards under the program total $500,000.

For Immediate Release - April 17, 2000

CUMMINGS' LANDMARK GRABS NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT

BEVERLY - There is another chapter of sweeping accolades for Beverly's landmark Cummings Center. The 1.6 million square foot property recently garnered a major national award from BUILDINGS magazine.

Just weeks after its recognition as a BOMA award winner from Building Owners & Managers Association, Cummings Center was selected as Buildings magazine's Year 2000 National Grand Prize Winner, in its prestigious annual building modernization competition.

Gracing the cover of Buildings' April 2000 issue, Cummings Center was lauded for its innovative approach to modernization and its effective reuse of a former derelict industrial property. "Recreating The Shoe as a high-tech office and research park, the developer worked to successfully blend the best from the past with all the future has to offer," the magazine stated.

Prior to the substantial, four-year Cummings renovation, the magazine continued, "Beverly, Massachusetts Mayor William Scanlon, searched far and wide for a new owner to renovate the area." Cummings Properties purchased the former United Shoe Machinery Corporation (USM) property from The Black & Decker Corporation just four years ago, on April 29, 1996.

According to Buildings magazine, the prestigious annual competition included scores of entries. Cummings Center, however, distinguished itself as the overall national winner, based on Cummings' innovative formula of working with the inherent characteristics of the facility.

"Project Architect Bruce Oveson has created hip, industrial-looking office space. Exposed girders, rough square columns, high ceilings, and pitched roofs attribute to the unique environment," cited the magazine. When the award-winning renovation began, overall building tenancy was reportedly less than 10 percent. Today, only four years later, occupancy has catapulted to just under 95 percent, according to Cummings Center general manager Gerry McSweeney.

"Our tenants are refugees from Cambridge and MIT; they are the wellspring of the technological companies in eastern Massachusetts," McSweeney said, describing the influx of highly specialized businesses into what formerly housed heavy manufacturing and early 20th century industry. Indeed, the magazine cited that "because of the success of the Cummings Center, Beverly is well on its way of becoming the dot.com capitol of Massachusetts…"

Buildings cited a primary tenet of the project's success as being its eclectic mix of on-site amenities. Cummings Center offers many, on-campus benefits: computer training rooms, restaurants, conference rooms, and health club facilities, as well as a large (120-child) Bright Horizons day care center.

Other important amenities include two full service banks, travel agencies, attorneys, accountants, three dental offices, a very popular chiropractic practice and Cummings Center Medical Associates, a physician practice affiliated with Beverly Hospital. There are also on-site branches of Emmanuel College, North Shore Community College and Lesley College, which together serve more than 1,000 students each week.

In this unique self-sustaining approach, "Cummings Properties strives to create a sense of community among its large body of tenants. Companies are encouraged to use each other's services. In addition to referrals, Cummings Properties promotes its tenants free-of-charge," the periodical said. Oveson described this practice as an example of his firm's strong philosophy of achieving success through the collective success of its tenants.

"This massive project took substantial community support. Along with the site's distinction as a Massachusetts Economic Opportunity Area, the brownfields initiative was critical to the company's clean-up of decades of industrial pollution on surrounding land," noted McSweeney. He noted the restoration has cost $53 million, and involved more than 300 workers every day at its peak.

Today, the magazine noted, "older residents frequently still visit the building, reliving the past and returning treasures from USM's glory days… Cummings Properties has set aside office and storage space for the local historical society and USM retirees. Dioramas of the tools and original steam-driven equipment and large restored photographs from the early 1900s greet tenants and visitors."

Buildings concluded that "What makes this modernization remarkable -- beyond its epic scope -- is the true appreciation of the facility and its importance to the surrounding community. Cummings Center's success represents a return of something precious."

For Immediate Release - February 7, 2000

Haggerty, Froebel And Rotolo Are New Choate Trustees

According to Barbara Whalen, New Horizons’ executive director, the three incoming trustees will fill positions now vacated by outgoing trustees completing their three-year terms. The retiring trustees are Dr. James E. McDonough of Winchester, Kenneth R. Summers of Woburn, and James F. Mawn, Esq. now of Gloucester.

Long-time Woburn resident Paul Haggerty is the retired publisher of the Daily Times Chronicle and is chairman of the board of Woburn Daily Times, Inc. He is regarded by many as an institution among New England newspaper executives. Haggerty and his family have served the Woburn area for almost 100 years through the Daily Times Chronicle, and he himself has been actively involved in dozens of community leadership positions. Haggerty and his wife, Ruth, have eight adult children and live on Westview Terrace in Woburn.

Pauline Froebel, a 30-year Woburn resident, has worked for the U.S. government for 34 years, currently in a senior civilian official capacity at Bedford’s Hanscom Air Force Base. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Northeastern University and an MBA from Babson College. Froebel has also attended Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Management, the U.S. government’s Federal Executive Institute and, most recently, its National War College. Residents of Whispering Hill Road in Woburn, Froebel and her husband Carl have one adult daughter.

Winchester resident Dr. Peter Rotolo has practiced medicine in Burlington for 24 years. An obstetrician and gynecologist, Dr. Rotolo graduated from New Jersey College of Medicine. He is a recent president of the medical staff at Winchester Hospital (recently ranked one of the country’s top 100 hospitals), and was first admitted to practice there in 1976. Dr. Rotolo and his wife, Maureen, are the parents of four children.

According to Whalen, New Horizons maintains up to a 12-member volunteer board of trustees, with three members rotating off at the end of each calendar year. Trustees officially meet twice annually, with various other informal business-related activities throughout the year. “We are delighted to welcome Pauline Froebel, Paul Haggerty, and Dr. Rotolo to New Horizons’ board. They are highly respected representatives of their professions and will serve an important role in the operation of this community,” Whalen said.

New Horizons is home to a total of 121 seniors, 95 of whom are in its independent and assisted living programs, with the latter administered by Winchester Hospital Home Care. It is a state-certified not-for-profit facility that was developed and sponsored by Cummings Properties Foundation in 1990. Whalen noted that the community will celebrate its tenth anniversary this August.

The facility also owns and operates the attached Choate Medical Center, home to several major health care providers, including Woburn Medical Associates, Bournewood Hospital, Boston IVF, Winchester Hospital’s Orthopaedics Plus, Woburn Dialysis Center, and Teddy Bear University day care (run by Woburn resident Lauren Flaherty).

According to Whalen, rents received from medical center tenants directly subsidize resident fees at New Horizons. She added that New Horizons has just announced its fourth consecutive year with no rent increase for its residents. “As a not-for-profit residence, we’re quite proud of our ability to keep rates well below those of other similar communities. We hope that after each of our new residents moves in, we will not ever have to increase their monthly rental rates,” Whalen said.

In April 1998, the community added Hearthstone at Choate, a 26-resident independently-run wing dedicated to the care and treatment of individuals with Alzheimer’s and other cognitive impairments. Although presently at full occupancy, New Horizons currently accepts priority waitlist applicants. Hearthstone is separately run and managed by Hearthstone Alzheimer Care, Inc., a large regional provider of Alzheimer care services.

New Horizons’ other current trustees include Susan F. Brand, Esq.; Joseph T. Crowley; Joyce M. Cummings; William S. Cummings; Rep. Carol A. Donovan; Marian Forsyth, R.N.; Richard E. Holbrook; and Woburn Police Chief Philip Mahoney.

For Immediate Release - January 28, 2000

Cummings Center is BOMA Winner

According to Cummings Center's general manager, Gerry McSweeney, that complex was selected by a panel of judges in BOMA's "Office Building of the Year" contest as the "Best Renovated Building." Formerly the sprawling manufacturing headquarters of United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Cummings Center is now a 1.6 million square foot office and research park at the junction of Routes 62 and 1-A.

In addition to recognizing the significance of the development itself, "the prestigious award honors excellence in overall management as well as community contribution among office buildings in the greater Boston area," according to BOMA.

Cummings Center won the award for work which began when Cummings Properties acquired the facility from The Black & Decker Corporation on April 29, 1996. Formerly known as "The Shoe," the heavily deteriorated buildings sat mostly vacant for many years before being acquired by the Woburn-based developers. There were also significant oil spills on the property, which McSweeney noted were cleaned up by Cummings Properties at a cost of $1 million.

The preeminent architecture critic Ada Louise Huxtable wrote a feature story entitled "Architecture - Refitting 'The Shoe'," which appeared in The Wall Street Journal on October 2, 1997. Huxtable called Cummings Center "…the single most important, and generally unrecognized, concrete landmark in this country." The Pulitzer Prize-winning author concluded her description of the refurbishing of Cummings Center as "…more than a success story; it is a dream come true!"

McSweeney noted that while the very large reconstruction project proceeded pretty much as scheduled, actual leasing of the completed space went somewhat slower than had been anticipated. He said occupancy is now close to 90 percent, however, with the majority of the space being leased as very attractive offices and executive office suites, and the remainder mostly as research space. Altogether, the complex has 37 acres of floor space.

"We now have a total of 328 firms which have either already moved in, or have pending move-ins scheduled. There are now about 3400 new Beverly jobs," he added, "the vast majority of them being filled with North Shore people who formerly commuted down Route 128 or into Boston."

For Immediate Release - September 24, 1999

New bridge will honor late Cummings Properties president

At the time of his death, the 41 year-old McKeown had served four years as president of Cummings Properties of Woburn. He was also managing trustee of New Horizons at Choate retirement community and of Cummings Properties Foundation, along with many other civic and philanthropic involvements. He was honored in Beverly one year ago with the naming of the James L. McKeown Elementary School, for his work there in developing Cummings Center.

McKeown was president of the Woburn Business Association between 1991 and 1993. A generation or more of Woburnites knew him best, however, through his lifelong role at the Woburn Boys and Girls Club. After practically growing up at the Club during his childhood, McKeown then taught swimming to hundreds of Woburn youth. Later, he became the first former Boys Club member to be elected to the club’s board of directors, and then served two terms as president.

The bridge, which is already under construction, north of the I-95 interchange, is expected to provide great relief for the interchange of I-93 and I-95 when it is completed next summer.

Sponsors of House Bill No. 2257 include Woburn Representative Carol Donovan, Senator Robert Havern who is a co-chair of the Joint Committee on Transportation, and Winchester Senator Charles Shannon. Birmingham told of McKeown’s personal visit to his office several years ago in support of funding for the bridge which was then still in its early planning stages.

For Immediate Release - September 7, 1999

Cummings Properties Announces Co-presidents

One of the North Shore’s most prominent firms makes a major change in its management status. Bill Cummings, founder and acting president of Cummings Properties, LLC, today announced the appointments of Michael H. Pascavage, AIA, and Dennis A. Clarke, to fill jointly the position of company president. Formerly, Pascavage was senior vice president and Clarke was vice president of operations of the 30-year-old commercial real estate firm.

Described by many in the industry as one the most financially solid real estate firms in the area, Cummings Properties owns and operates nearly eight million square feet of mostly office and research space in 10 metropolitan Boston communities. According to Pascavage, Cummings Properties facilities are all in eastern Massachusetts, with headquarters in Woburn.

The position of president has been essentially vacant since November 13, 1996 following the sudden death of the former president, Woburn native James L. McKeown. Both Pascavage and Clarke have filled positions at the firm for many years.

Cummings said, “The decision to jointly fill this position also reflects our philosophy regarding teamwork, integrity and ethics. Mike and Dennis share these traits and a strong personal camaraderie. Their contribution to our company’s growing success, the community support we enjoy, and our mission at Cummings Properties is extraordinary.”

Pascavage, 48, moves into the co-president position in his 14th year of service with the firm. At the center of the company’s evolution from an industrial real estate developer into the multi-disciplinary Cummings Properties, Pascavage will continue to direct all design, purchasing, construction and development efforts. A native of Pennsylvania, Pascavage is a registered architect with both bachelors and masters degrees in architecture from University of Pennsylvania, and an MBA from Northeastern University.

Previously, Pascavage was a principal in his own firm in Philadelphia and worked with ADD, Inc., architects, in Cambridge and Washington, DC. He is an avid runner and cyclist and lives in Milton with his wife, Debby, and their two children, Leigh and Eric.

Clarke, a 31 year-old Winchester native, joins Pascavage as co-president. After graduating from Harvard University in 1990, Clarke served as a licensed commercial insurance broker. In 1992, he joined the Cummings organization as general manager of its small newspaper chain, Community Weeklies, Inc. The newspaper group was sold to Community Newspaper Company, Inc. and Clarke became vice president of operations of Cummings Properties in November 1996.

Active in the communities of Winchester and Woburn, Clarke is a director of Winchester Chamber of Commerce and a corporator of Winchester Hospital. He and his wife Alicia, also a Winchester native, have two young sons, Davis and Brennan. A former athlete, Clarke was a Greater Lowell Golden Gloves boxing champion and a Boston Globe Football All-Scholastic designee.

Cummings added, “As Dennis and Mike are appointed to this unusual position where two people share the office of president, they honor the legacy of our former president, James L. McKeown.” Prior to his sudden death in 1996 at age 41, Mr. McKeown spent 17 years with the firm, the last four as president.

In 1996, McKeown led negotiations for the subsequent purchase of the former United Shoe Machinery Corporation headquarters from The Black & Decker Corporation, and started the conversion to Cummings Center in Beverly. Just one year ago, the city of Beverly named its new James L. McKeown Elementary School, in his honor.

Cummings Properties reportedly provides business homes to 1,300 businesses that occupy 82 major buildings. The organization also owns and operates New Horizons at Madonna Hall in Marlborough, a 240 resident retirement community, and employs more than 300 people in the metropolitan Boston area.

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For Immediate Release - Sept 1, 1999

ARCHITECTURAL AND BACKGROUND INFORMATION CUMMINGS CENTER

MEDIA RELEASE - E V E R G R E E N -

Any of this detailed background information may be used with or without attribution.

Cummings Center is "the single most important, and generally unrecognized concrete landmark in this country," Pulitzer Prize winning architecture critic Ada Louise Huxtable wrote in the October 2, 1997 issue of The Wall Street Journal. Her feature story on Cummings Properties' restoration of the sprawling Beverly complex is a resounding endorsement for this newly refurbished historic site.

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Ms. Huxtable described Cummings Center as "a building of outstanding utilitarian beauty. Its stunning glass-walled simplicity, the pleasing proportions based on its structural system, foreshadow the later modular designs of Mies van der Rohe and one of the basic aesthetic principles of modernism -- the direct relationship of structure to style."

Cummings Center, a 1.6 million square foot office, executive office, and research campus in Beverly, Massachusetts, was established when the 80-acre site was purchased from The Black & Decker Corporation, successor to United Shoe Machinery Corporation, on April 29, 1996. Completed mostly between 1903 and 1906, the huge facility was one of the earliest, and for 40 years was the largest, reinforced concrete structure in the world.

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Designed and built by Ernest Leslie Ransome, it was also one of the first uses of glass curtain wall construction. In addition to its status as the longtime international hub of shoe manufacturing machinery, the facility was the birthplace of more than 9,000 U.S. patents during the 20th century. The complex reportedly boasted such modern innovations as the earliest time clocks produced by IBM, pop rivets used in the Supersonic Concorde, the hot glue gun, the pop top for soda cans, and the drive mechanism for the lunar module, to name just a few.

Cummings Properties' affiliate, Beverly Commerce Park, Inc. acquired Ernest L. Ransome's marvelous gem on April 29, 1996. On that date Beverly's Mayor William Scanlon stated, "This was the flagship of United Shoe Machinery Corp. ... and probably as such was as influential then as Microsoft is today."

FORTUNE Magazine in a September 1933 feature story portrayed Beverly, Massachusetts as "dizzy with prosperity," from the legendary United Shoe monopoly.  By October 1972, however, FORTUNE described the whole aging complex in Beverly as "massive and antique."

The vast complex now contains a total of more than 37 acres of fully restored interior space. Over 400 tradespeople worked for three years on the very first major remodeling ever done here. In March 1999 Real Estate FORUM Magazine referred to the transformation to Cummings Center as "one of the largest rehabilitation projects in the counrty."

Although suffering greatly from decades of active neglect, all of the basic concrete elements of the former property of United Shoe Machinery Corporation were very sound. "Everything around, above, and within them was worn or decayed, but the essential structure and mass were begging only for restored dignity," said developer William S. Cummings.

James L. McKeown, Cummings' successor as president of Cummings Properties Management, Inc., spoke very fondly of restoring Cummings Center as the "The Grande Dame" of New England's commercial buildings. Tragically, Mr. McKeown died very suddenly just a year after the transaction was announced, but he was the principal negotiator and prime mover of the redevelopment. He has since been honored and remembered by the city of Beverly in the new James L. McKeown Elementary School, adjacent to Cummings Center.

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With over a million and a half square feet of floor area at Cummings Center, workers said that merely understanding how everything worked was an enormous task in itself. An ancient electrical system was extremely fragile and cumbersome, as were several four-story-tall, barely functional steam boilers.

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All were totally replaced, as were the underground water, gas, sanitary and drainage lines, as well as the entire fire sprinkler system. All of the work took place while more than 100 individual business tenants continued to occupy just under 10% of the complex.

Although replacement of the antiquated mechanical systems was the most critical priority, to get through the winter of 1996 - 1997, it was necessary at the same time to secure the exterior surfaces through which water leaked seemingly from every direction. A full 19 acres of new roof is now complete, and over 200,000 square feet of windows have been replaced. Those windows replaced were mostly uninsulated steel sash which, in fact, were circa 1930 replacements for the original wood framed windows.

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According to General Manager Gerard McSweeney, a 20-year Cummings employee, Cummings Center is the first site in Massachusetts to be cleaned up under this state's Brownfields Initiative legislation, and the so-called Covenant Not To Sue program. Cummings Properties has previously rebuilt 10 other major structures, including the former Choate Hospital in Woburn, a large public school in Woburn, and the 30-acre Madonna Hall School complex in Marlborough, Massachusetts, which is now the New Horizons at Madonna Hall retirement community.

Another major challenge in Beverly was correction of many long-standing building code violations. Almost four miles of unprotected interior hallways, or the lack thereof, presented the biggest problem. These were rebuilt, while at the same time sophisticated electronic fire alarms and six major new egress routes were constructed. Seventeen brand new elevators are now completed as well.

"A full 100% of the old interior buildout has already been removed, and in its place over 1.1 million square feet have been fully rebuilt and occupied as very nice office and laboratory space," McSweeney said. One new tenant, Orion Research, occupies 140,000 square feet, and another 15 firms, so far, occupy from 20,000 to 50,000 square feet each. McSweeney noted, however, that most Cummings Center For Immediate Release - August 10, 1999 Medtronic leases 100,000 square feet at Cummings Center in Beverly Medtronic Interventional Vascular, Inc., this week signed a long-term lease for 100,000 square feet of offices, research laboratories and clean room space at Cummings Center in Beverly. The deal is one of the largest suburban real estate transactions of the year. According to Medtronic’s vice president, Tim Collins, the Cummings Center facility will feature 60,000 square feet of brand new clean rooms to replace an older facility presently located in Billerica. Construction will begin immediately with Medtronic scheduled to occupy the new facility November 20. The company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Minneapolis based Medtronic, Inc., a world leader in medical products for implantable and interventional therapies. A 50 year old medical products maker with $3 billion in annual sales, Medtronic has 20,000 employees serving nearly 2 million patients in 120 countries. The firm has been ranked one of the 100 best companies to work for by Fortune Magazine. Using its on-site architectural and construction divisions, Cummings Properties will also act as general contractor for the special $2 million design/build project. “We’re delighted that a company of Medtronic’s calibre selected us to build and house this state-of-the-art facility,” said Cummings Center’s general manager, Gerry McSweeney. “We needed a partner who could help us get this project up and running ASAP and on budget,” Collins noted. “That’s what initially attracted us to Cummings Properties. The amenities and the superb support services in-place at Cummings Center are the icing on the cake.” Formerly the world headquarters of United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Cummings Center in Beverly is now a 1.6 million square foot office, executive office, and research park. Woburn-based Cummings Properties acquired the site in 1996 and immediately undertook a $50 million top to bottom restoration. McSweeney reported that Cummings Center is now more than 80% leased with the addition of Medtronic. Jim Vos of CRESA Partners’ Minneapolis office advised Medtronic in the transaction. McSweeney, together with Mike Farrell, represented Cummings Properties, LLC. Contacts: Tim Collins   978-739-3064 >Gerry McSweeney   978-922-9000 For Immediate Release - May 11, 1999 Women-owned businesses flourish at Cummings Center in Beverly Landmark building on North Shore has extraordinary number of women-owned firms In Beverly, women own dozens of independent businesses at Cummings Center, representing more than a tenth of all businesses leasing at the mammoth office and lab complex on the North Shore - a remarkably high percentage. The number of women-owned businesses in one complex, is all the more remarkable when one looks at statistics released in Washington, D.C. by The National Foundation of Women Business Owners. According to the organization, Massachusetts ranks way down the list, nationally, coming in number 41 out of 50 states. In other words, the Bay State is doing poorly in attracting women-owned businesses. Against that statistical backdrop, it is all the more remarkable that Cummings Center in Beverly has - not three or four, not seven or eight women-owned businesses, but a whopping 30. And these