1932
The Leslie Blau Company is established in Newark, NJ with Leslie Blau collecting rents door-to-door, beginning the tradition of personal service.
1940’s Ted Stein becomes a charter member of The Society of Industrial Realtors (later to become SIOR)
Ted Stein becomes a charter member of The Society of Industrial Realtors (later to become SIOR), which was founded just before the United States entered WWII. SIR was instrumental in locating plant space that could be utilized for the production of defense and war material. Over 200 brokers from across the United States and Canada surveyed suitable facilities and reported their findings to the War Department (now the Department of Defense). These 200 brokers would become the Society’s charter members.
1950’s
Boxes had been used for combined rail and horse-drawn transport in England as early as 1792. However, in 1955, Malcom P. McLean, a trucking entrepreneur from North Carolina, USA, bought a steamship company with the idea of transporting entire truck trailers with their cargo still inside making it simpler and quicker to have one container that could be lifted from a vehicle directly onto a ship without having to unload its contents. This system, called intermodalism, vastly improved efficiency and the transportation of goods, simplifying the logistical process and leading to a revolution in cargo transportation and international trade.
1950’s
Ted Stein is hired and starts the industrial portion of The Leslie Blau Company
1950’s
The Berg brothers enter real estate in the 1950s forming The Berg Agency. The huge housing needs of World War II veterans called for a new approach and the Bergs saw a career opportunity and a chance for public service.
1950’s
Edward Blau, Leslie Blau’s son, forms Blau Mortgage Company. The Leslie Blau Company, now one of the largest and most respected industrial real estate companies in NJ, becomes a division of Blau Mortgage Company.
1960’s
Salesman Tom Lysaght is hired by The Leslie Blau Company and later becomes President.
1975
Kenneth Berg grows the Metuchen-based Berg Enterprises, Inc. into the largest residential real estate brokerage in New Jersey and the second largest in the country
1970’s
The Berg Agency grew rapidly in its first 20 years, now with 20 offices throughout eastern New Jersey. The firm also became heavily involved in commercial and industrial real estate to complement its residential business. In 1970, Berg Enterprises, Inc. was launched as a publicly owned company traded on the AMEX. One of the first steps taken under the new corporate structure was the acquisition of the mortgage-banking firm Margaretten & Company.
1971
Berg Enterprises, Inc. acquires Blau Mortgage Company, which has grown to a staff of 50 and maintains its two divisions – the Leslie Blau Company, engaged in industrial and commercial real estate brokerage and Blau-Lasser Appraisal Company, appraisers and real estate consultants.
1972
Kenneth F. Crimmins joins the The Leslie Blau Company.
1973
After joining The Leslie Blau Company as what he thought would be a temporary job, Kenneth F. Crimmins brokers his first commercial real estate deal in partnership with Ted Stein who had taken him under his wing. Union Carbide, a chemical and polymers company known for its large-scale production facilities, purchased a 235,000 SF facility in Danbury, CT from Lester M. Entin & Associates to begin production of a new disposable diaper brand, Drydees, to compete with Proctor & Gamble’s Pampers. The commission from this deal was more than Ken's previous annual salary, thus marking a turning point in his career as he decided to continue a path in the commercial real estate industry.
1974
Charles T. Kavanaugh joins the company, becomes Executive Vice President in 1992.
1978
In response to the interest rate crisis, the Newark and Iselin operations are combined and the Blau & Berg entity is born, located in the Iselin office.
1984
Kenneth F. Crimmins is named “Broker of the Year” by Summit Associates, Inc., a major NJ real estate developer. Kenneth was honored for his experience, knowledge and skill in the industrial real estate field. Diego R. Visceglia, President of Summit Associates, stated that, “his honesty and dedication earned him the respect of clients and brokers throughout the industry.”
1985
Berg Enterprises, Inc. is sold to The American Can Company (later to be renamed Primerica).
1986
In 1986 the Society of Industrial Realtors (SIR) became the Society of Industrial and Office Realtors (SIOR) while expanding the association membership to professionals who lease and sell office properties.
1987
Kenneth F. Crimmins becomes President of The Blau & Berg Company, a subsidiary of Primerica.
1987
The Blau & Berg Company brokers the purchase from Union Carbide of a 106-acre property in Perth Amboy, NJ for Bermuda Container Lines. The waterfront property included docking facilities and a 233,000 SF building, allowing Bermuda Container Lines to relocate its shipping operations. Located just south of the Outerbridge Crossing, the waterfront site connected Perth Amboy and the southern tip of Staten Island, N.Y.
1988
Commercial Credit Group acquires Primerica, further solidifying the future of the company as a national purveyor of financial services.
1989
Kenneth F. Crimmins is awarded the top salesman honor.
1989
The Blau & Berg Company brokers a 250,000 SF deal in Wayne, NJ on behalf of the United Parcel Service, Inc. (UPS), the world's largest package delivery company and a provider of supply chain management solutions, resulting in significant income and helping to launch the company.
1990
In a desire to focus on its core operating assets, Commercial Credit Group divests some of its more regionally oriented companies. The Blau & Berg Company is spun off and sold to CrimKav Corporation, doing business as The Blau & Berg Company with Kenneth F. Crimmins as the majority stockholder.
1992
Sheryl L. Crimmins joins The Blau & Berg Company as Chief Financial Officer
1993
In an expansion move, The Blau & Berg Company moves to Springfield, NJ
1996
Kenneth F. Crimmins is elected President of the SIOR NJ Chapter
1996
Jason M. Crimmins joins the company as salesman
2001
The Blau & Berg Company brokers the sale of a 333,000 facility in Teteboro, NJ to the United States Postal Service for $39 million. The property was converted into a new, state-of-the-art Northern NJ Metro Processing and Distribution Center, significantly improving postal services in the area.
2012
SIOR honors Jason M. Crimmins, Alessandro (Alex) Conte and Peter J. Murano for the Largest Industrial Lease of the year – 500,528 SF to IDS PR in Washington Township, NJ
2012
Li & Fung, a multinational corporation that manages complex supply chains for brands and retailers around the world, was managing third party logistics for Frye. Through the lease of a 500,528 SF state-of-the-art automated warehouse in Robbinsville, NJ procured by The Blau & Berg Company, Li & Fung was able to bring the distribution of Frye shoes and handbags in-house.
2013
The company relocates to its current, larger facilities in Short Hills, NJ.
2014
Kenneth F. Crimmins becomes CEO and Chairman of The Blau & Berg Company
2014
Jason M. Crimmins becomes President of The Blau & Berg Company
2015
The Blau & Berg Company secures a long-term 61,825 SF lease in Kearny, NJ for Cummins, Inc., a global power leader that designs, manufactures, sells and services diesel and alternative fuel engines.
2015
The Blau & Berg Company procures a 384,784 lease in Edison, NJ on behalf of i3PL, a global third-party logistics powerhouse. i3PL leased the warehouse from KTR Capital Partners (who was subsequently purchased by Prologis for $5.9 billion) to secure their expansion to the east coast.
2015
The Blau & Berg Company procures the sale for Terreno Realty Corporation of a 101-Door Terminal leased to FedEx.
2016
Kenneth F. Crimmins is recognized for having consistently achieved the highest salesman awards, President’s Circle and Circle of Excellence, for each of the last 30 plus years, denoting not only top sales volume and transaction value, but also honesty, integrity and personal commitment.
2016
The Blau & Berg Company leases acreage near Newark Liberty International Airport to Enterprise Rent-a-Car for rental of automobiles and maintenance
2016
The Blau & Berg Company leases land in Elizabeth, NJ to a division of Volvo, Arrow Truck Sales
2016
The Blau & Berg Company leases a 10-acre parking lay down yard adjacent to Newark Liberty International Airport to Hertz, the largest car rental company in the U.S.
2016
E-commerce drives demand for premium warehouse space along the NJ Turnpike corridors, leading The Blau & Berg Company to procure a 343,485 SF, $10,560,000 lease for United Parcel Service, Inc. (UPS), the world's largest package delivery company and a provider of supply chain management solutions, in Jamesburg, NJ.
2016
The Blau & Berg Company brokers the $17.5 million sale of a 43,000 SF and 8.14 AC property in Secaucus, NJ to Hudson County Motors. As a full-service dealer of Volvo, Western Star, Autocar, and Mitsubishi-Fuso trucks, Hudson County Motors’ multi-franchise business was seeking a larger space to meet its customers' demands. The site offered a prime location just outside of the Lincoln Tunnel, the opportunity to expand, and the benefit of a significant infrastructure investment made by the former owners, Cinelli Iron & Metal Co.
2017
The Blau & Berg Company assists a major e-commerce company to complete a transaction in Hudson County to help service the NY metropolitan region.
2017
Christian Walsifer, CCIM is named a shareholder in the company and Senior Director.
2017
The Blau & Berg Company successfully brokers a transaction for Terreno Realty Corporation – three parcels in excess of $41M comprising +/- AC located in Newark and Carlstadt, NJ.
2017
Alessandro (Alex) Conte, CCIM, SIOR is named a shareholder in the company and Executive Vice President.
2018
The Blau & Berg Company brokers the $55-million sale of ±50 AC of multiple buildings from the Lomma portfolio to Terreno Realty Corporation, a San Francisco-based public real estate investment trust that acquires, owns, and operates industrial real estate in six major U.S. coastal markets.
2019
Blau & Berg facilitates the lease of a 23-AC, 100-door Terminal in Elizabeth, NJ with the Memphis-based Federal Express Corporation, helping the multinational conglomerate secure a prime location for a key Northeast logistics center.
2020
The sale of a full city block between Hunts Point and
Fulton Fish Market in the Bronx is brokered by Blau & Berg in a $26.5-million transaction between SIMS Metal Management and Wildflower LTD, providing another Amazon IOS logistics
yard.
2020
On behalf of ICT c/o Shipco Transport, The Blau & Berg
Company procures the lease of a 238,500-SF distribution center on Kapkowski Road in Elizabeth, NJ. The prime port location, owned by IDI Logistics, becomes a key NYC area hub for Chatham, NJ-based Shipco Transport.
2021
United Parcel Service leases 886,256 SF on a 20.35-AC industrial property in Bayonne, NJ. The former Military Ocean Terminal was demolished in August 2021 to clear the way for a new state-of-the-art logistics center for the shipping giant. Charles Kavanagh of The Blau & Berg Company represented United Parcel Service on the lease nominated for NAIOP Deal of the Year.
2021
General Plumbing, the largest industrial supplier of HVAC and plumbing materials on the East Coast, is assisted by Blau & Berg on the lease of two buildings totaling 298,253 SF of industrial property on Randolphville Road in Piscataway.
2021
14 AC with a 95,000-SF industrial building situated on North 2nd Street in Philadelphia, PA is sold to Prologis, a global industrial real estate giant based
in San Francisco, CA, with Blau & Berg brokering the $15-million sale.
2021
YITA, LLC, a Washington-based automotive parts supplier, leases a 318,750-SF industrial property in North Brunswick, NJ. Blau & Berg secures the lease of the multi-unit facility on Route 130, the key distribution hub for Yita Motors.
2022
Link Logistics, the largest portfolio holder of US-only industrial real estate, purchases a 350,000-SF development property on 30 AC on Hyatt Avenue in Newark, NJ with Blau & Berg brokering the $86-million transaction.
2022
The Blau & Berg Company brokers the $45-million sale of 175,000-SF industrial property on 9.4 AC on Kenny Place in Saddle Brook, NJ to Brookfield Properties, a real estate developer operating under Brookfield Asset Management, one of the world's largest alternative asset managers.
2022
A former automotive, multi-story, manufacturing facility at 891 Newark Ave, Elizabeth, later turned into a bakery for Girls Scouts of America and finally sold, demolished, and repurposed into two Class A warehouse distribution facilities totaling ±300,000-SF on 20 AC is sold by Blau & Berg for $80 million to Brookfield Properties.
2023
Bridge Industrial, a real estate operating company and investment manager represented by Blau & Berg purchases a 116,000-SF truck dealership and service facility on 9.2 AC on West Linden Ave, Linden for $49,500,000
2023
Tennessee-based FedEx Corporation expands their New Jersey logistics operations, with The Blau & Berg Company completing leases on their behalf totaling 298,668-SF in Egg Harbor, Hamilton, Mount Olive, and Moonachie
2023
International Cargo Terminals Inc. leases 197,000-SF on North River Street in Franklin Park, Illinois, as the freight logistics company expands its operations into the Midwest with The Blau & Berg Company securing the lease at the Prologis Franklin Park site adjacent to Chicago O'Hare International Airport.
2023
The Blau & Berg Company expands its Short Hills, NJ office by 40%
2024
Jason Crimmins, Alessandro (Alex) Conte & Charles Kavanagh complete 3 successive terms as SIOR NJ Chapter President