Syd Leibovitch & Leslie Kavanaugh to Be Honored at This Year’s 2018 Patron Gala

The Friends of Robinson Gardens is very proud to be honoring two award recipients at this year’s Mrs. Robinsons Supper ClubPatron Gala being held on September 15, 2018. Syd Leibovitch will receive the Spirit of Beverly Hills Award for his impressive contributions as an exceptional leader in the business community while Leslie Kavanaugh will receive the Camellia Award for her outstanding philanthropic and charitable contributions to the community and her heartfelt devotion to the Virginia Robinson Gardens.

Rodeo Realty, Inc was founded in 1986, by real estate powerhouse Syd Leibovitch who envisioned a dynamic boutique brokerage with the area’s finest real estate professionals.  Operated under the direction of Syd Leibovitch, Rodeo Realty stands today as one of the largest independently owned real estate brokerage in the nation, while still maintain the friendly approach of the neighborhood REALTOR. The residential real estate firm has more than 1,200 licensed agents and brokers with 12 offices throughout Los Angeles and Ventura counties. Affiliate companies include L.A. Mortgage, Encore Escrow and Progressive Title. As one of the largest locally owned real estate companies headquartered and operated in Los Angeles, Rodeo Realty has the resources to provide the best tools in the industry to deliver the very best results.

Leibovitch studied Economics and Banking in college and began selling real estate at the age of 23. He was a top selling Realtor in the Los Angeles area by the time he was 25 and opened Paramount Properties out of his garage in 1986. He hasn’t looked back since and today devotes his time and energy into growing his company into a regional powerhouse.The firm was eventually re-named Rodeo Realty and is now a leading luxury residential real estate firm in California.  Syd continues to be a motivator and trainer to his many agents.

Rodeo Realty services various markets in California, including luxury real estate markets. The company’s celebrity and other multi-million dollar listings are regularly featured in the Los Angeles Times, E! News, The Hollywood Reporter, and other media outlets. Leibovitch, as well as his agents, are trusted sources of information for news reporters nationwide. The company is ranked 30 on the Swanepoel Mega 1000 Brokerage list, which was released in June of this year. Rodeo Realty also ranks 26 in the Real Trends 500 list for their 2017 closed sales volume. Syd Leibovitch was also recognized this year for being one of the most powerful and influential leaders in residential real estate. He was one of 200 who made it onto the Swanepoel Power 200 list.

Leibovitch’s mission is to give agents the support they need to succeed. His corporate center offers advertising services; in-house print shop; in-house public relations; and access to all of the company’s offices. The firm operates a real estate school. Leibovitch is also a hands-on business owner who makes himself accessible to all agents. He has built Rodeo Realty into a partnership of real estate and supports professionals whose mission is to perform brokerage and related services at the highest level.

Leslie is a second generation Californian and obtained both undergraduate and graduate degrees from UCLA. She graduated from El Rodeo Elementary and Beverly Hills High School. She intimately knows and loves the history of our community. Shortly out of college, Leslie taught at her El Rodeo alma mater. From there she became an interior designer, one of the first woman General Contractors (owning an interior design/construction company), and the COO of two multi-office health corporations.

In 1979, Leslie began her real estate career and became a leading agent in the Westside real estate with Jon Douglas, Coldwell Banker, Sotheby’s International Realty and, currently, Rodeo Realty. Her expertise and record breaking sales have been noticed with such designations as President’s Elite Circle, California 100, Circle of Distinction, and National President’s Circle. She maintained her status as a Top Producer with NRT/Sotheby’s international Realty year after year, consistently being recognized in the company’s top 1% of over 45,000 realtors worldwide. After joining Rodeo Realty in 2016, her exemplary performance garnered her the President’s Elite Circle Award in both 2016 and 2017.

Leslie is dedicated to a range of local charities and serves on the Board of Directors for Friends of Robinson Gardens, Jewish Big Brothers Big Sisters of Los Angeles, Stop Poaching Now, Los Angeles Ballet, and AVIVA Family and Children’s Services. She is also involved with Blue Ribbon, Art of Elysium, Board of Governors at Cedars Sinai, Women and Philanthropy at UCLA and has chaired  a major fundraiser for City of Hope, as she brought the USA and Italy together to help stop cancer. Leslie has also served on the Board of the LA Italia Film Festival, helping to organize events in Los Angeles the week before the Oscars.

Leslie loves her work and charities and her time with family and friends. She also enjoys horseback riding, dancing, party planning, entertaining, singing, piano, traveling, bridge, theater and art. She insists that her real claim to fame is her wonderful family. She and her wonderful husband, Jack, will celebrate their 47th wedding anniversary in August. Leslie’s sons, Ryan and Matthew and her two grandsons, Carter and Tommy, give her such joy and make her life truly full!

In the magazine Angeleno‘s edition of Icons of Beverly Hills, Leslie was asked, “What do you do to stay motivated?”  The answer was, “I have always found motivation in encounters with people and new experiences. Each day is filled with new adventures, new decisions to make, new things to know and new friends to make.”