Calamar expands to Midwest

Niagara Wheatfield Tribune, April 17, 2008

Calamar President and C.E.O. Kenneth M. Franasiak has announced the expansion of operations to the Midwest, with the opening of an office in Omaha, Neb.

Calamar, a full service real estate organization comprised of construction, development, property management and finance and investment divisions, will begin operating out of the Omaha office immediately.

“The Omaha region shows great potential for growth and opportunities that exhibit solid promise. Our market studies for Omaha indicate an attractive and lucrative future, and this venture is an example of our continued vision and strategy to become a global provider,” said Franasiak. “While many companies from Western New York seek the sunshine, we went to Omaha to seek opportunities. Our Nebraska location will mirror all the facets of our organization by providing the same complement of services and vertically integrated platform we have implemented since 1990.”

“As the economy slows, operations in the nation’s heartland present great geographical diversity while providing a launching point for further expansion,” he added.

Scott Kennedy has been appointed as vice president and general manager of Midwest operations. Kennedy and his management team have been providing construction services in Nebraska for more than 15 years.

“This is an opportunity to not only grow our business model, but to expand our reach into the global market”, Franasiak said. “In addition to construction, we will actively be seeking development opportunities to foster and cultivate our core strategy to become a global provider of real estate services.”

“Calamar has been responsible for some of the largest developments in the Northeast markets we operate in and we look forward to bringing that expertise to Omaha and the Midwest.” C.O.O. Dawn I. Gilliam commented.

The Omaha location represents the fourth location for Calamar. Other offices include the corporate headquarters in Wheatfield, as well as offices in Hamilton and Toronto, Ontario.