Mehlich Associates has been in the retail and commercial real estate business for four generations. It was started by William H. Mehlich as a retail brokerage firm for chain stores known as Chain Store Leasing, located on Madison Ave. in New York City. They sought sites all over the country for companies such as JC Penny, WT Grant, JJ Newberry, The Grand Union Company and Gristedes Supermarkets, to name a few.
When William O. Mehlich came into the business, he started and developed properties in close proximity to their home office. William O. Mehlich moved the company out to Tuckahoe, New York. William was one of the original members of the International Council of Shopping Centers back in 1958. Besides operating an active commercial brokerage operation, William also sought sites for the Grand Union Company throughout the Northeast and then proceeded to develop shopping centers around their locations. This is how the company's first center, the Poughkeepsie Plaza, was born in 1958. Still in the company's portfolio, the Poughkeepsie Plaza is the core property of the Mehlich Associates portfolio.
In 1974, Robert W. Mehlich joined the firm in the leasing and management area. He helped convert the Poughkeepsie Plaza to an enclosed mall in 1976 and lease the newly renovated center. In the 1980's Mehlich associates expanded the center three times. They also commenced a real estate purchase program including several properties in Florida. Those properties have recently been sold and exchanged with several properties in the New England area. Mehlich Associates now has 11 properties and is looking for acquisitions of medium sized shopping centers within the New England/New York Region.
Robert W. Mehlich, Jr. joined the firm full time in 2005. He works primarily in leasing and management of the Connecticut and Massachusetts properties.