Leonard Stern, founder of Hartz Mountain Industries and chairmanof parent Hartz Group, bought the land in 1966 for $10 million in adeal widely viewed as folly. With its location adjacent majorhighways a few miles west of New York, Stern, however, saw thetract as a potential alternative to high-cost New York, and timehas proven him right. From that raw land have emerged more than 13million sf of W/D facilities and office space, 120 outlet stores,three hotels, 1,400 luxury condo apartments, plus townhouse condosin two side-by-side Hackensack River waterfront developments.

It also includes the Meadowlands Hospital and Panasonic's U.S.headquarters. Other corporate names include Gucci, MSNBC, UPS, CBS,UPN-9, Datek Online and Children's Place. The entire developmentremains in Hartz's 35 million-sf portfolio.

"Panasonic committed to Harmon Cove in 1974 when most peopleperceived Secaucus as nothing but pig farms," recalls Emanuel Sternpresident/COO of Hartz, itself headquartered in Secaucus. In recentyears, Emanual Stern has been instrumental in shepherding thedevelopment process begun by his father.