Cali Associates was founded in 1949 by two brothers, John J. Cali and Angelo R. Cali, and their close friend and associate, Edward Leshowitz. The company began as a developer of single-family homes in Northern New Jersey.

Residential Development in the 1960s.

With the area's strong need for housing, Cali Associates went on to develop over 5,500 housing units, including apartments and condominiums, in New Jersey. Most of Cali's residential properties were later converted to condominiums and sold.

As New Jersey's population mushroomed in the late 60s, and more people choose to both live and work in New Jersey, Cali added suburban office building development to its construction activities to meet the growing demand for office space. Cali Associates built its first office building, 14 Commerce Drive in Cranford, NJ, in 1969.

John J. Cali	Angelo R. Cali
Edward Leshowitz

1970s-1980s

Between 1970 and 1990, Cali Associates focused on suburban office development, building over 2.2 million square feet of class A office space in New Jersey. The company became well known for its high-quality construction and property management. Reflecting this reputation, Cali Associates won numerous development awards including seven "New Good Neighbor" awards and a "Developer of the Year" award presented by the New Jersey Chapter of the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties (NAIOP).

Some of the trophy buildings the company developed included: 101 Eisenhower Parkway in Roseland, NJ, 50 Tice Boulevard in Woodcliff Lake, NJ, International Financial Tower in Jersey City, NJ and 20 Commerce Drive in Cranford, NJ.

1990s

As speculative construction activity in New Jersey declined due to a saturation of office space, Cali switched its strategy from developing buildings to growth through the acquisition and management of office properties.