Transforming Westchester one home at a time

Alison White Homes hopes to transform Westchester one home at a time

By Consuelo Israelson

Alison White loves walking in her Kentwood neighborhood in Westchester. She calls it “making her rounds.” A stroll is even better if she happens to spot a home that needs some TLC, and if it’s for sale, she might even consider buying it and that’s when the work really starts. “Once I’m inside, I know within five minutes what I’d like to do with the house and what style would fit best,” says Alison, owner of Alison White Homes, a boutique firm that renovates houses before offering them for sale. She also takes on select clients to work with to build their dream homes.

This is a second career for Alison. In her previous life, she worked as a lawyer and realized that as a single mom with two children, she wasn’t getting as much time with her family as she’d like. She decided to try a new hobby to see where it would go and got her real estate license. When she had free time, she’d spend it looking at homes. “I saw male developers weren’t catering to women and families,” she said. “For example, a lot of showers weren’t being built with a ledge, which women need in order to shave their legs. Little things like this can mean a lot.”

She watched trends and studied the real estate market until one day when she ran into a childhood friend who was interested in the same thing. They teamed up for a year, before Alison joined a new venture with fellow Westchester mom Megan Blu. They worked together for several years as Blu and White Homes, but Alison wasn’t quite ready to quit her day job.

“Our first house was on Cowan. Other people in real estate thought we were crazy when we removed some of the house to make the backyard bigger to make it feel more like a resort. That ended up selling the house! We realized we were onto something with familyfriendly homes,” Alison said. “I felt I had a unique perspective that wasn’t being captured.” In 2019, she was ready to leave her law firm and started out on her own with Alison White Homes. She loves being the boss and being hands-on with all of the homes she takes on to remodel in Westchester, as well as surrounding communities like Culver City. “I work with an architect and a contractor, but I drive the project. I figure out on paper what we need and what makes the most sense. My knowledge of the real estate market is what lets this happen,” said Alison.

A self-described “control freak,” she usually focuses on about five houses per year because she likes to be involved in all aspects of a home’s transformation. So far for 2022, she has three projects in Westchester, one in Culver City and another in Long Beach that are slated to be finished this summer. Since she has built a strong reputation for creating beautiful homes for modern family living, full of custom finishes and thoughtful touches, she recently was able to sell a home before the renovations are even completed.

When it comes to construction, she’s partial to creating Coastal Cape Cods, Modern Farmhouses and Spanish styles, but most of all it’s about bringing a home’s potential and charm to the forefront with carefully curated design choices.

“My favorite part is seeing an idea come to life. There’s something really special about homes. With people staying at their houses now more than ever, it’s so important to have a place that works for you,” she said.

As it turns out, real estate is in her bones; growing up, her parents bought houses to fix up and were always on the lookout for their next project. And when it came time to pick a home of her own, Westchester was an easy choice, thanks to her mother Kathy Sultan.

Kathy currently runs the beloved preschool at Covenant Presbyterian and has worked in Westchester for more than 20 years.

“My mom has always loved Westchester and kept pushing my sister and me to live there. She described it as a village,” Alison said. “We fell in love with it and in 2011 moved here. I went to little Vons, and it felt like everyone knew each other. Within a few months, that was me! It really is a small town within Los Angeles. I never knew something like this existed.”

Because Alison lives in the same area as most of her remodels, she knows how important it is to be a good neighbor. “It’s not fun living next door to construction,” she said. “We always try to be respectful and mindful.”

Another perk of keeping most of her projects local is getting to leave her creative mark when it comes to the feel of the community. “One of the reasons I like picking houses nearby is because then I can have a little control over the look of our neighborhood,” she says. “I’m not always a fan of what people from outside the area do.”

While Alison and her team are constantly researching the next big thing in design and coming up with new, creative ideas, she prefers to make her signature homes look classic, so they won’t be out of vogue in five years. She says they tend to stay away from trendy colors and styles to ensure the finished product is timeless and a good fit for the area.

“We try to prioritize responsible building over profits. We don’t always make as much money as other people, but we try to do the right thing,” she said. “Our decisions are often based on what’s best for the neighborhood rather than being solely profit-driven.”

Alison’s focus on community and her desire to be a resource, led her to create the Westchester Renovations Group on Facebook last year as a place where members can ask questions about home improvement projects, get opinions on things like tile choices and paint colors, share remodeling woes and ask for referrals. She likes sharing her expertise and offering her opinions with the group when she can because she knows just how daunting a remodel can be.

Her passion for design and the motivation to create some of Westchester’s most beautiful one-of-akind homes has not only made Alison White Homes a much sought-after name for those looking to buy their Westchester dream locale but has also captured the attention of Hollywood. Some of her properties have been used for filming, the latest being an ADT commercial featuring the Property Brothers. She has also been approached by production companies about pitching shows to HGTV but turns them down because her favorite perk of owning her own business and being the boss is that she gets to spend more time with her children, Peyton, 11 and Preston, 8.

Alison White sits in her living room.

I felt I had a unique perspective that wasn’t being captured.

WISH continues to thrive due to the incredible support of the Westchester community, strong parent partnerships, and a commitment to high-quality meaningful and engaging public education for all students by our amazing team of educators!

be valued and understood be held to high expectations experience exciting & engaging curriculum receive a chromebook have the opportunity to join a sports team participate in exceptional art, music, technology & PE instructional experiences have high quality SEL, STEM, & GATE instruction receive hands-on project based learning benefit from university & business partnerships take rigorous High School pathway courses in Engineering, BioMedical Science, Social Justice & Performing Arts

The community is invited to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day at the third annual Kids’ March for Equality on Monday, January 17 from 10 to 11 a.m. Hosted by the Westside Activists, the event is organized as a positive, non-partisan family-friendly activity that celebrates diversity and equality. The event will take place on the northwest corner of Sepulveda and La Tijera Blvd. in Westchester. In year’s past, more than 100 community members with colorful, positive signs have participated in the march. For more info and to RSVP, visit bit.ly/KidsMarch.

The LAX Coastal Chamber and Gateway to LA welcome new leadership.

After 17 years at the LAX Coastal Chamber, President/CEO Christina Davis has announced that she has accepted the position of Executive Director of The Gateway Los Angeles Property Business Improvement District (BID). Davis’ last day with the chamber will be January 14, and she replaces longtime Executive Director Laurie Hughes who retired at the end of last year. The BID oversees 40 properties adjacent to Los Angeles International Airport in Westchester where property owners tax themselves to make their community cleaner, safer and more vibrant for visitors, employees and businesses.

The chamber’s current Vice President of Membership, Chad Maender, has been promoted to the role of President/CEO.

“The LAX Coastal Chamber and the communities we serve hold such a special place in my heart. The chamber has made great strides during my time here, and it has truly become a force in supporting business and community in our area and beyond,” said Davis. “I am incredibly pleased with the work we have accomplished, but what I am most proud of is our financial stability, Leadership Academy program, and the formation of the LAX Coastal Education Foundation. I feel truly blessed to have been given the opportunity to lead the chamber and work with some wonderful local business leaders.”

Davis, who grew up in Westchester, started her career with the chamber in December 2004 and was promoted

Photos by Ballerini Cooley Studios.

This month, current LAX Coastal Chamber President/CEO Christina Davis will take on a new role at Gateway to LA after 17 years at the community organization. Chad Maender will step into the role as head of the business group, which also hosts the Fourth of July Parade, after serving as its Vice President of Membership. to the role of President/CEO in April 2006. During her time there, she has grown the organization’s budget, membership numbers and prestige, earning the LAX Coastal Chamber one of the L.A. Business Journal’s top 15 spots for Largest L.A. County Chambers and countless accolades, including AMCS’ Community Builder Award. Always working to promote members and the vitality of local business, she is responsible for launching a multitude of programs to support small and large businesses including LAX Coworking, State of LAX, Power Hour, Protectors’ Appreciation Week, City of Angels Awards Gala, DEI initiatives, Binge Live!, the LAX Coastal Magazine, and increasing corporate memberships.

She also continued to grow the chamber’s community initiatives including the Fourth of July Parade and the Teacher Eddy Awards. During the pandemic when many chambers suffered, Davis led her team through navigating the quick move to virtual programming, creating a robust offering of ways businesses could connect, network and find support, while keeping the membership and budget stable. Most recently, Davis and incoming Board Chair, Joe Coleman have overseen the organization’s first comprehensive strategic plan, ensuring the organization continues to thrive, remain relevant, and most importantly, serve its 500-plus membership. “Of course, none of our accomplishments could have happened without our amazing team, members and partners,” said Davis. “I could not be more pleased to have Chad step in as the President/CEO. He understands the issues of our businesses and the communities we serve. We have been working side by side since he joined this team and I know the transition will be seamless and the organization will prosper under his leadership.”

Over the last 17 years, Davis says the relationships that have been formed at the chamber are what she values most. “I always say our chamber is about building relationships with people,” said Davis. “I have been honored to serve in this role and be able to connect so many wonderful people and businesses together to create a stronger community. In my new role at Gateway, I will continue to be an advocate and fierce supporter of the chamber and its programs, including Leadership Academy.” “Christina has been a dynamic CEO and I know that our membership will miss her leadership in the organization,” said Board Chair, Rae Lamothe. “Under her leadership, the chamber has flourished and become a vital organization for local businesses to join. Her leadership will be missed, but we know she will continue to contribute to the chamber in new ways.”

Maender steps into the position with a wealth of experience as the Chamber’s current Vice President of Membership. He previously served as Executive Director of the Mid-Valley YMCA, running an operating budget of more than $2.3 million annually. “Shifting into the CEO role, I plan to build on the incredible foundation that Christina has built during her tenure,” said Maender. “Christina has left a profound impact on the many businesses and organizations across our community and has built this chamber from the ground up. All of the great qualities of our organization came from the culture she created. (continued on next page)

Photo by Venice Paparazzi.

The 59th Annual Marina del Rey Boat Parade was the largest yet, with more than 70 boats participating in the Saturday, December 11 event. The theme was “On the Water” and Cedars-Sinai Marina del Rey Hospital’s Joanne Laguna-Kennedy and Dr. Steven Krems were honored as the parade’s grand marshals. More than a dozen boats were recognized after the event for their outstanding efforts, including Best Overall winner Nosso Lar, which wowed the crowd with decorations depicting Santa riding on an elephant and featured five small boats full of animals trailing behind. (continued from previous page) It’s an exciting time in Los Angeles and in particular the LAX Coastal community as we are set to be the ‘front door’ to the world for the next 7-plus years. We will be maximizing our resources to be a relevant and strategic partner so that all of our businesses can thrive and benefit.”

The chamber will roll out its strategic plan in the first quarter of 2022. The organization has been serving the community since 1953 and currently serves more than 550 members.

Community invited to join Mental Health Guild.

The Westchester Mental Health Guild will be celebrating its 60th anniversary this month at its annual membership meeting. The meeting will be held on Wednesday, January 26 at 10 a.m. This year, to be COVIDsafe, it will be held via Zoom. All members and prospective members are invited to attend. The meeting link will be available on the Guild’s website a week before the meeting.

The Westchester Mental Health Guild is a nonprofit organization which has for the past 60 years worked to raise funds to support Airport Marina Counseling Service. Among other activities, the Guild operated a gift shop called The Guilded Cage from 1975 through 2016, and conducted 37 annual indoor tours of homes decorated for the holidays in Westchester and Playa del Rey. When the pandemic began, the Guild began to hold mostly online fundraiser events, including wine tastings, cooking, flower-arranging demonstrations and a trivia night. Their next fundraiser is January 24 through January 27 at Tony P’s Dockside Grill in Marina del Rey. The restaurant will provide 20 percent of the proceeds to the Guild from all diners presenting a coupon that can be found on the Guild’s website.

RSVP for the meeting and learn more at westchestermhg.org.

Rotarians ready to host 5K in Westchester to raise awareness for human trafficking prevention.

For more than a decade, January has been dedicated to raising awareness about the different forms of human trafficking. The Rotary International Districts of Los Angeles, which includes the Westchester/ Playa area, Sacramento, San Diego and San Francisco are joining forces this month for the California Rotary Human Trafficking Prevention Campaign. The four districts are collaborating, in partnership with nonprofits, to assist victims and survivors within their regions, to raise awareness during the entire month and encourage all Californians to help spread the word. California is currently one of the top three states with the most reported cases of human trafficking. The community’s two local Rotary Clubs–Westchester and Playa Venice Sunrise–have been supporting efforts to fight this issue and help victims, and will be hosting a non-competitive 5K run/walk on January 16 at 1 p.m. The event will be held in Westchester and will feature Playa Venice Sunrise Rotarian and ultra-sport athlete, Rob DeCou. Through participating in ultra-endurance events, including the Uberman Challenge, DeCou has helped raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for this cause. For a $15 donation, participants can sign up as virtual walkers. General admission tickets are $40 and include a tote bag. A $100 VIP ticket is also available. For more details, visit rotariansfightinghumantrafficking. org/events.

Have info to share about your business or nonprofit? Email us at westchesterhometown@yahoo.com for a chance to be featured.

In these crazy times, have you completely given up on the real estate market?

If not, don’t hesitate to call me.

Amy Nelson Frelinger

Realtor® | DRE# 01484711 M 310.951.0416 O 424.281.7603 amy.frelinger@elliman.com

Robert Milligan, Partner

Business, Intellectual Property and Employment Counseling & Litigation (310) 201-1579 rmilligan@seyfarth.com