Cantalupa named chief development officer and senior vice president at Benchmark

Waltham, MA Benchmark has appointed Michael Cantalupa as chief development officer and senior vice president. He is well-known in the real estate industry for his more than 30-year career at Boston Properties where he developed 12 million s/f of complex, mixed-use space for the real estate investment trust in markets such as Boston, Cambridge and Waltham, Mass.; and San Francisco.

“Mike’s expertise will be invaluable as we develop new communities where the current and upcoming ‘first-generation’ of baby boomers can look forward to aging well,” said Tom Grape, Benchmark’s founder, chairman and CEO. “He understands and appreciates the complexities of our industry, and his real estate development knowledge will contribute significantly to our industry leadership position.”

As senior vice president of development for Boston Properties, Cantalupa was responsible for overseeing new development projects that contributed significantly to the growth of the Boston area. He has been a frequent speaker at numerous industry conferences and seminars, including Urban Land Institute, NAIOP, Build Boston and Massachusetts Building Congress.

“What Tom and his team have created in just over 20 years is remarkable, and I look forward to contributing significantly to Benchmark’s next phase of growth,” says Cantalupa.

Cantalupa received a Bachelor of Science in civil engineering from Tufts University and an MBA from Harvard Business School. He served as a board member for the Kendall Square Association, is a past chairman for A Better City, and served as vice chairman and board member of his alma mater, Malden Catholic High School. He lives in Winchester, Mass.