SoCal Flipbooks

Health Matters: Providence Cedars-Sinai Tarzana Medical Center | 11 S andy Sigal isn't shy about his deep affection for his San Fernando Valley hometown. He has lived in the Valley for his entire 57 years, except for a six-month stint in New York. He lives in Calabasas and works in Woodland Hills, and "my kids live in the Valley and my best friends from elementary school live here," he says. This has served him—and his beloved community—very well. Over the years, Sigal's radical authenticity has helped to drive his business success, as well as his passion for philanthropy. When he was 7 and 8 years old, Sanford "Sandy" Sigal attended Glendale's Camp Bob Waldorf (then called Camp Max Straus), a program for underserved youth operated by Jewish Big Brothers Big Sisters of Los Angeles (JBBBSLA). It was at the camp that he found his first mentors, counselors who, as Sigal remembers, were probably 18 or 19. At the camp he learned the values of collaboration and leadership, and that all those from less advantaged economic circumstances need is a little help and support to achieve their goals. He now serves on the board of the foundation for the camp and on the board of JBBBSLA. At the age of 12, Sigal learned computer programming—an interest that launched his first career as a programmer and software developer. By the time he was 20, he had graduated from UCLA, parlaying his technology skills into a commercial real estate career—starting with a single retail center in Sylmar. "I just loved the idea of permanence, of creating something that's still there and has contributed to the community," he reflects. "I just wanted to build shopping centers and grow merchants whose business grew as we grew. Our approach was always to take a long-term view of our relationships, whether they are our retailers, our cities or our team members." Those long-term decisions paid off. By 1997 Sigal had formed NewMark Merrill Companies. Today the Woodland Hills operation serves more than 2,000 tenants in 11 million square feet of retail space across California, Colorado and Illinois. The secret to his success: a commitment to build lasting, collaborative relationships in the neighborhoods he and his company serve. "I don't think you can take the 'real' out of real estate," says Sigal. "We want to be a positive force in the community. Our job is to be an ombudsman between the retailers and the community." That commitment to community remains especially evident in Sigal's years of philanthropic support for Providence Cedars- Sinai Tarzana Medical Center—an organization that complements his hands-on approach to giving. "I want to give and feel like I'm moving the needle," he explains. "I want to do things where there's personal involvement." Of course, personal involvement galvanized his enthusiasm for the medical center in the first place. "I can't stop being excited about investing back into the hospital where all four of my kids were born," he laughs. "It's just been part of our family. We all have the same doctor, Dr. Burton Liebross, who has been our family doctor since I was 20. It's a place we always knew we could get great care—and, more than that, great humanity. Providence Cedars-Sinai Tarzana is the heartbeat of our family and the greater community." That sense of connection remains a powerful part of Sigal's identity as a philanthropist. He remembers making his first charitable gift at the age of 18, to help rebuild the Statue of Liberty. "I felt like I was part of something bigger. That's what drives my giving. And now, our entire family participates and knows giving back is a priority." For Sigal, supporting the Providence Tarzana Foundation— both through his own contributions and by encouraging others to give—represents a unique chance to become involved, engaged and inspired. "The opportunity to give is itself a great gift," says Sigal. "It gives a connection to community that you wouldn't have any other way. I'm so grateful to be part of this family." The way we at Providence Cedars-Sinai see it, there's nothing more authentic than that. Native Son Real estate leader and benefactor Sandy Sigal opens up about collaboration, connection and community.

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