// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhat did the Cafaro Company building say? "I've got a lot of structure.
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| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Retail |
| Founded | 1949 |
| Founders |
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| Headquarters | , U.S. |
Area served | United States |
| Services | Property management Real estate development |
| Website | cafarocompany |
The Cafaro Company is an American property management and real estate development company headquartered in Niles, Ohio. It is the largest privately-owned shopping center development and management company in the U.S., managing more than 30,000,000 square feet (2,800,000 m2) of commercial real estate throughout the country.[1][2]
History
[edit]Brothers William M. Cafaro and John A. Cafaro began developing grocery stores for Kroger in 1942.[3] In 1949, they formed William M. Cafaro & Associates and expanded into shopping center development, opening a grocery plaza in Sharon, Pennsylvania, and another Kroger-anchored center in Barberton, Ohio.[4][5] The brothers also managed the non-grocery tenants in the centers they developed.
The Cafaro Company opened its first enclosed regional shopping mall, American Mall in Lima, Ohio, in 1965.[1] Eastwood Mall followed in 1969, and in 1970 the company developed Kennedy Mall, the first enclosed shopping mall in Iowa.[4][5] During the 1970s and 1980s, Cafaro concentrated its regional mall development in Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.[5] As the company expanded, William Cafaro's sons assumed larger leadership roles: Anthony Cafaro Sr. became president in 1978,[5] while John J. Cafaro, as executive vice president, helped develop Meadowbrook Mall and Ohio Valley Mall.[6][7][8]
In 1988, Target Corporation asked the company to develop shopping centers for the retailer in the Pacific Northwest, expanding the company portfolio into Washington and Oregon and resulting in the establishment of an office in Puyallup, Washington.[1][5] William M. Cafaro died in April 1998.[3]
In the 2000s, the company diversified into sports and mixed-use development projects, including 7 17 Credit Union Field at Eastwood (formerly known as Cafaro Field and Eastwood Field) and major redevelopments at properties such as Millcreek Mall and Spotsylvania Towne Centre.[3] In 2009, Anthony Cafaro Sr. and John J. Cafaro retired as president and executive vice president, respectively, and were succeeded by Anthony Cafaro Jr. and William A. Cafaro.[9]
Enclosed mall properties
[edit]Former properties
[edit]| Property Name | Location |
|---|---|
| American Mall | Lima, Ohio |
| Ashtabula Towne Square | Ashtabula, Ohio |
| Beaver Valley Mall | Monaca, Pennsylvania |
| Charleston Town Center | Charleston, West Virginia |
| Eastgate Plaza (formerly Eastgate Mall) | Wichita, Kansas |
| Five Points Mall (formerly North Park Mall) | Marion, Indiana |
| Fort Saginaw Mall | Saginaw, Michigan |
| Marion Centre (formerly Southland Mall) | Marion, Ohio |
| McGuffey Mall | Youngstown, Ohio |
| Southern Park Mall (co-developer) | Boardman, Ohio |
| Tallahassee Mall | Tallahassee, Florida |
Canceled
[edit]- Liberty Lake Mall, Spokane, Washington
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 Shearin, Randall (May 2006). "Cafaro's Next Generation". Shopping Center Business. Archived from the original on February 28, 2008. Retrieved June 4, 2008.
- ↑ "Cafaro". Archived from the original on March 7, 2007. Retrieved February 24, 2007.
- 1 2 3 "About Cafaro". cafarocompany.com. Cafaro Company. Retrieved October 13, 2022.
- 1 2 "Cafaro Co. at 75: A Vision Realized". Business Journal Daily. June 18, 2024. Retrieved December 23, 2025.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Selak, Ron Jr. (September 21, 2024). "75 years and counting". tribtoday.com. Retrieved June 23, 2026.
- ↑ Cafaro, John J. "John J. Cafaro on about.me". about.me. Retrieved June 19, 2026.
- ↑ Stanton, Andrew (June 19, 2026). "Trump donor John Cafaro scrutinized amid Lincoln Reflecting Pool debacle". Newsweek. Retrieved June 20, 2026.
- ↑ Eaton, Sabrina (June 22, 2026). "The reflecting pool debacle has an Ohio connection, and it goes deeper than green water". cleveland. Retrieved June 23, 2026.
- ↑ "Cafaro Co. announces senior retirements". Chain Store Age. Retrieved December 29, 2020.