Philanthropic family hosts festive soiree
‘Tis the season for friends and family to come a-calling and mistletoeing, to exchange gifts and holiday greetings, to host parties and other sundry fa-la-la-laing. Keeping with that tradition, the Cusumano Real Estate Group hosted their annual holiday soiree at Another Broken Egg Café this past week.
Always well-attended by the Burbank governmental and business communities along with longtime Cusumano friends and associates, guests were welcomed to the downtown eatery by hosts, the company’s principals Chuck, Roger and Michael Cusumano, and hostesses, Roger’s wife, Evelyn, and Michael’s wife, Caroline.
Established in 1959, Cusumano Real Estate Group is as associated with Burbank as Warner Bros., Disney and NBC. The leader in apartment rentals, office leasing and senior living in the San Fernando Valley, the family-owned-and-operated company has built their reputation on developing, constructing and maintaining quality buildings and interacting in an ethical and respectful manner with those they deal with.
Along with their client-focused leasing, property management, development, construction, and brokerage work, the Cusumanos have also become renowned for their deeply rooted and substantial involvement with Burbank charities and civic groups.
Included in their commitment to the betterment of Burbank, the Cusumano family has contributed $1 million to the Hycy and Howard Hill Neuroscience Institute at Providence St. Joseph Medical Center, with an earmark that their donation is to be used for the purchase of high-tech diagnostics equipment. They are also the single largest private benefactor of the renovation of Memorial Field at John Burroughs High School. Over a dozen Cusumano family members are Burroughs graduates and, in gratitude for their financial contribution of $300,000, the field’s front entrance, located at the corner of Verdugo Avenue and Parish Place, will be named Cusumano Plaza and honor the U.S. Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard.
Among the notables who enjoyed last week’s evening of good cheer were Mayor Jess Talamantes and his wife, Sandy, former Burbank Mayors Vince Stefano and Michael Hastings, City Attorney Amy Albano, former Burbank City Manager Bud Ovrom, who now serves as the general manager of the Los Angeles Building and Safety Department, Burbank Chamber of Commerce President Gary Olson and his wife, Sharon, and former Burbank Police Chief Tim Stehr and his wife, Barbara.
Others in attendance included Scott Rife, Keith Sanneman, Jan Bartolo, David and Kim Nos, Max Andrews, Lee Wochner, Mary Lou Stefano, Sunder Ramani, Richard Raad and Greg and Carolyn Jackson.
