A TRIBUTE TO RUSNAK AUTOMOTIVE GROUP
Wednesday, April 26, 2006
Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the Rusnak Automotive Group in celebrating 40 years as a premiere automotive dealer in Southern California. Paul Rusnak opened his first location in 1959 because he saw the beginning of a fascination with European sports cars.
Over the years, his business grew to include more than 25 different automotive brands, both domestic and European. From Culver City to Pasadena, Rusnak Automotive Group has centered its market in convenient locations for our community members.
A short distance from Art Center College of Design, where many automotive designers are inspired, is the intersection of Orange Grove and Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena, California. This location is where Rusnak showcases cars such as Jaguar, Porsche, Audi, Rolls-Royce, and Bentley in historic buildings that have served as automotive dealerships since the turn of the century. The famous Walter M. Murphy Motors and Murphy Co. Coachworks of Duisenberg fame was housed where Rusnak now displays Porsches. Also, the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics has designated the Rolls-Royce dealership as one of the nation's historic aerospace sites--it was the first plant for Aerojet Engineering Corporation, which was the site of the invention of rocket fuel.
The largest automotive mall in the world houses Rusnak/Westlake and BMW, Porsche, and Audi dealerships. Rusnak Automotive Group has received many awards over the years including the first J.D. Powers "Customer Approved Retailer.'' But--the best awards have come from the many repeat customers who have made Rusnak the number one volume Audi dealer in the Western United States and the fastest growing Mercedes-Benz dealer in Southern California. Looking to the future, Rusnak now has a new BMW dealership on the 101 Freeway in Thousand Oaks, California.
Mr. Paul Rusnak, his daughter, Liz Rusnak Arizmendi, Vice President Public Relations, and Rusnak Automotive Group are generous supporters of many local charitable organizations, including Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, Make a Wish of Greater Los Angeles, the Pasadena POPS Orchestra, the AIDS Service Center of Los Angeles, Hillsides, Methodist Hospital Foundation, the American Red Cross and the Ronald McDonald House of Pasadena.
It is my distinct honor to recognize the contributions of Rusnak Automotive Group. I ask all members to join me in congratulating Paul Rusnak and his staff for celebrating 40 years of contributions to the community and automotive industry.