Calamar
Founded in 1990 in Wheatfield, NY, Calamar is a full-service real estate development and general contracting firm, with divisions in construction development, property and facilities management, asset management, leasing, and finance and investment.
The company was founded by current chairman and CEO Kenneth M. Franasiak and his grandfather, Stanley Brzezinski. Four generations of the family have worked for the firm and currently there are members of three generations at Calamar. Franasiak's father, Richard Molnar, is vice president of construction and his sister, Dawn Gilliam, is chief operating officer. A stepbrother, Sean McNally, also works at the firm.
Calamar has shown tremendous growth over the years. The company was started in 1990 in the suburban Niagara Falls community of Wheatfield, NY, with one employee and today is is the largest real estate development company in Niagara County, employing more than 200 people at offices in Wheatfield; Omaha, NE; Woburn, MA; and also in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, and Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The firm's primary clientele are municipal customers throughout New York, New Jersey, Maryland and Pennsylvania.
The firm supports several charitable agencies in the Greater Buffalo area, including The Niagara Area Foundation, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, People Inc. Foundation, Leadership Niagara, SBA Advisory Board, and The United Way.