Page 14 - KC Cunningham Issue

KC Cunningham...Equestrian and Entrepreneur

A Driving Force

By Judith A. Habert

The poise, beauty and grace she demonstrates sitting high geles County about a mile east of the 5, thinking that it might
upon the saddle of her horse, Harley, is a true indication of be worth something some day.” In 2000, her father began
how Karen Cunningham carries herself in her everyday life to put some concrete effort into developing the property. He
and career. She is a first class equestrian and a well re- acquired additional surrounding parcels and worked with
spected woman in the land development and entitlement in- several engineers to determine the most feasible use for the
dustry. All of this at the tender age of 30. We caught up with land. KC describes her entry into the industry as accidental.
KC (the nickname she “I was a recent gradu-
has gone by since child- ate, so for the lack of
hood), while competing in anything better to do
one of her recent eques- at the time, I shad-
trian events at the Del owed him. I took it
Mar Horse Park. KC has upon myself to cre-
been riding since child- ate a filing structure
hood and it is one of her for the development
true loves. As KC jokes, project. In the process
“I basically got into the of creating this filing
sport because my mother system, I reviewed
was an avid equestrian every piece of paper in
and did not understand every file. I became a
any concept of her child walking database for
not riding. I had a pony the project’s history
at the age of three, and and current status. I
I learned to ride a horse began having just a
14 before I learned to ride little more information
a bike.” From watch- on this project than
ing her, it is obviously a anyone else.” Before
passion in her life and a long, the CFO of the
needed retreat from her project approached
full time job as President KC and asked if she
of Cunningham Devel- felt she could run the
opment. For the past 9 project. With deter-
years, KC has been the mination, and a bit of
go-to person for land fear, she accepted
developers in Southern the challenge. It was
California, when they at this point that KC
want to cure entitlement became aware of how
issues or are simply in complex the process
search of a manager who was.
can keep their projects Not only was she new
running smoothly, within to the industry, but
budget, and on time. she was 20-30 years
Karen is a graduate of younger than every-
USC with a Bachelor of one else involved in
Science degree from the the project, and the
Lloyd Greif Center for Entrepreneurial Studies in the Marshall only female; a demographic relatively unheard of in land
School of Business. KC credits her time at USC with her development. She credits her success to the help of many
ability to multi task and maintain a calm head while surround- mentors along the way. KC adds, “I have been very lucky
ed by chaos, which is so often the atmosphere in her chosen in having consultants who mentored me and let me sit in on
line of work. other projects in which they were involved. At such a young
When KC graduated from college, she wasn’t sure which age, it was very believable that I didn’t have all the answers,
path she wanted to take. It was her father, Bob Cunning- so most were understanding of me asking questions and will-
ham, who unknowingly would determine her career path. “I ing to let me pick their brains. I started in this business as a
just fell into this type of work because of my Dad. Ten years sponge and I guess I still am.”
earlier he picked up about 420+ acres of raw land in Los An-
March/April 2010