Cummings Properties celebrates two 25-year employees

Ernie Agresti, vice president–administration, and Jim Gillette, purchasing manager, celebrate 25 years with Cummings Properties this month. The two were recently honored by colleagues at an informal reception at the commercial real estate firm’s Woburn headquarters.

“Jim and Ernie are superstars,” remarked President and CEO Dennis Clarke. “I have known these men for more than half my life, and they have had a profound impact on me and the Company.”

“What strikes me most about Ernie,” said Clarke “is his professional versatility.”

Agresti has held several positions at Cummings, starting as a property manager in the Operations Department, rising through the ranks to become vice president of operations, and in 2007, shifting his focus to the design and construction side of the organization.

He currently oversees all purchasing, sustainability, and design functions for Cummings’ 10 million-square-foot portfolio, as well as the development of all new properties.

Clarke noted that Agresti has played significant roles in many key projects, such as negotiating the Middlesex County Superior Court lease at Woburn’s landmark TradeCenter 128 campus. Most recently, he has been instrumental in the company’s latest development, the Elliott Landing luxury residential condominiums in Beverly.

Agresti has also spearheaded the firm’s sustainability initiatives. After a company-wide retrofit, nearly all of Cummings Properties’ lighting uses high-efficiency fixtures. In addition, it has one of the largest corporate collections of solar arrays in the Commonwealth, capable of producing enough electricity to power about 400 typical Massachusetts homes.

He lives in Swampscott, with his wife, Jennifer, and their two sons and twin daughters.

Gillette leads the consolidated purchasing activities for Cummings Properties and its two affiliated New Horizons retirement communities operated by Cummings Foundation. He oversees a five-person team and fosters relationships with hundreds of vendors and subcontractors.

“Jim is responsible for controlling tens of millions of dollars annually, and 100 percent of every dollar he and his team saves goes directly to the Company’s bottom line,” said Clarke, who also lauded Gillette’s personality, noting that he gets along with everyone.

“Jim can always get a smile; he can get a laugh. It’s a gift, and it means a lot to his colleagues both personally and professionally.”

A Malden native, Gillette lives in Andover with his wife, Patty, and their three daughters. Prior to joining Cummings, he owned a pizza shop and his own construction company.

When it was his turn to speak at the reception, Gillette, who likes to joke, struck a serious chord.

“The thing that makes me want to get up Monday morning and come to work is the people,” Gillette said. “Not once in 25 years have I thought, ‘I need a new job.’ Each day is interesting and brings different challenges, but really, it’s the people.”

Agresti also addressed the group, saying, “I’ve learned a lot from the senior-most people here, and just as much, if not more, from some of the least experienced staff. You all have something to offer. Everyone has taught me something.”

Cummings Properties founder Bill Cummings was on hand for the festivities to celebrate his long-time colleagues and thank and hug their wives, who were special guests at the reception and were credited for being very supportive partners.

“I take a huge amount of pride in all of you,” Cummings said to the Woburn office staff. “But the example set by these two senior people is just terrific.”

One of the most financially stable commercial real estate firms in the country, Cummings Properties employs more than 360 people, who work together to design, build, market, manage, and maintain its portfolio. One hundred and thirty employees, more than one-third of its staff, have been with the company for 10 years or more.

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PHOTO: Cummings Properties vice president–administration Ernie Agresti (left) and purchasing manager Jim Gillette (right) celebrate 25 years with Cummings Properties.