Hoping to become involved in more lucrative ventures, Congel contacted Simon Property Group, an Indianapolis, Indiana developer.

The Simons gave Congel a two-day seminar on the principles of the shopping center development, teaching him design, building, and financing.

This practice occasionally resulted in the selection of environmentally sensitive land or brownfields, which were purchased by Pyramid using affiliated subsidiaries.

For example, during construction of the Berkshire Mall, Pyramid and a contractor paid more than $240,000 in fines for filling in a wetland, relocating a stream, and laying drinking water and sewage pipes in the same trench.

[5] According to a 1998 Business West article:[full citation needed] Pyramid brings to the table a sophisticated knowledge of land-use and zoning laws and a mastery of local political processes to achieve its ends.

When revealed in 1978, residents and local environmentalists sued the company under the New York State Environmental Quality Review Act, intending to halt construction.

While the mall was completed and opened in 1984, the environmentalists won a number of legal battles, establishing environmental case law.

According to a 1988 Boston Globe profile,[full citation needed] the Pyramid Companies established a reputation not only as the biggest and fastest-growing builder of shopping malls around, but also as a corporate operator--aggressive, prolific and proud of it.

His eldest son held up the deal, resulting in disgruntled Pyramid partners, who ultimately sued and then settled for an undisclosed sum.

Pyramid has generally practiced a stealth development strategy, targeting potentially under-valued land already zoned for commercial use, which they then purchase their own financing.

[8] In November 2014, the Pyramid-owned Walden Galleria in Buffalo, NY was involved in a national controversy regarding their Black Friday policy.

Mall management told their tenants that they must open at 6:00pm on Thanksgiving Day, or be fined $200 for every hour, The Congel family is the largest privately held shopping center developer in the Northeastern region.