Cushman Watt Scout Center Opens Doors to Youth in Los Angeles

13 May, 2008, Los Angeles, CA

A stunning new Boy Scouts facility has opened in the heart of Los Angeles made possible by private and corporate contributions that included the generous gifts from Cushman & Wakefield’s Chairman John C. Cushman III and real estate developer Ray A. Watt - $2 million each.

The facility features a 24,000-square-foot office building that will serve as the new headquarters for the LA Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America and a 22,000-square-foot park with a climbing wall, campsite, nature center with 20 native trees, sports field and Scout Skills Pavilion. The project sits on 1.5 acres just west of downtown Los Angeles and immediately adjacent to the Hollywood Freeway (101). It will serve as the headquarters for L.A. Area Council’s 54,000 youth participants and 7,000 adult volunteers and will give the local youth the opportunity to get all the way to First Class Scout without ever having to leave the city.

“This is a truly groundbreaking facility that will offer life-changing programs and untold opportunity,” said Mr. Cushman. “I have had an enormously rewarding and wonderful career in real estate, and it has been significantly enhanced by my experiences and the opportunities I have had with the Boy Scouts of America. I am truly honored to be part of this dream come true.”

John H. Semcken III, Vice President of Majestic Realty and Chair of the Cushman Watt Scout Center Committee, said: “Rather than abandon the inner city and give up on the kids and communities that need most what scouting has to offer, the LA Council decided to invest and rebuild, transforming a crumbling blacktop parking lot into a stunning green oasis, and giving kids a reason to hope.”

Stephen E. Barnes, Scout Executive of the LA Area Council, says the Center will make scouting more accessible to at high risk youth. “Thanks to the generosity and supporters like Ray Watt and John Cushman, more young boys will be introduced to the values, tools and opportunities of scouting to help them reject gangs and drugs, and develop self respect and a hopeful future.”

John C. Cushman III currently serves on the Boy Scouts’ National Executive Board. He is also Past National President of the Boy Scouts of America and Past President of the Boy Scouts of America Foundation.

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Cushman & Wakefield is the world's largest privately-held commercial real estate services firm. Founded in 1917, it has 221 offices in 58 countries and more than 15,000 employees. The firm represents a diverse customer base ranging from small businesses to Fortune 500 companies. It offers a complete range of services within four primary disciplines: Transaction Services, including tenant and landlord representation in office, industrial and retail real estate; Capital Markets, including property sales, investment management, valuation services, investment banking, debt and equity financing; Client Solutions, including integrated real estate strategies for large corporations and property owners, and Consulting Services, including business and real estate consulting. A recognized leader in global real estate research, the firm publishes a broad array of proprietary reports available on its online Knowledge Center at www.cushmanwakefield.com

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