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With a focus on delivering transformative real estate projects, the Hampshire Cos. is continuing to carry on its 100-year-old family legacy in New Jersey. Founded in 1976 by Jon Hanson – the son of well-known New Jersey developer, the late James E. Hanson – Hampshire Cos. is one of the nation’s leading privately held, fully integrated real estate firms and investment fund managers, helping bring to fruition some of the state’s largest developments, including American Dream, the Atlantic City Gateway Redevelopment project and a transformation of the former Bergen Record newspaper site in Hackensack into luxury residences.

Since 2004, Hampshire has been led by a third generation, with James Hanson II as president and chief executive officer. After taking on the role, he has leveraged the firm’s real estate development experience to become a prominent fund manager, raising and deploying over $1.5 billion in equity. Altogether, the Morristown-based firm has more than $2.4 billion in assets under management and a development pipeline throughout the East Coast across the multifamily, self-storage, industrial, and retail sectors exceeding $1.2 billion.

In addition to his leadership role at Hampshire, James Hanson serves as a member of the New Jersey State Investment Council, which oversees the $80 billion New Jersey State Pension System; a commissioner of the Palisades Interstate Park Commission and is on the board of directors of Lakeland Bank. Now chair at Hampshire, Jon Hanson also sits on the board of managers and investment committees for The Hampshire Funds and acts as senior advisor to the company’s investment program. He currently serves as chairman of the New Jersey Hall of Fame and chairman of A.C. Devco, as well as a director of Yankee Global Enterprises (the owner of the New York Yankees).

Previously, Jon Hanson held trustee positions with several utility corporations and financial organizations. With over 60 years of real estate investment experience, Jon Hanson has received numerous accolades, including induction into the New Jersey Hall of Fame in 2017 and NAIOP NJ’s prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018.