James A. Cusumano
James A. Cusumano (born 1942) is an American entertainer and entrepreneur. He was the lead singer for the recording group The Royal Teens, who released the songs “Short Shorts” and “Short Shorts Twist” in the 1950s and 60s. After receiving a PhD in physical chemistry, pursuing business studies at Harvard and Stanford, and receiving a fellowship at Churchill College at Cambridge University, he served as a research scientist and then Director of Catalysis R&D for Exxon.
Cusumano then cofounded Catalytica, Inc., a Silicon Valley company with business units in sustainable energy and pharmaceuticals. He served as President and CEO of Catalytica and then as its Chairman. He also served as Chairman and CEO of Catalytica Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Following this, Cusumano founded Chateau Wally Films and produced the 2001 feature film What Matters Most.
He next moved to Prague, where he and his wife and business partner, Inez, renovated a Czech chateau into a luxury hotel and retreat.
Cusumano is the author of several technical and business publications, including the books Balance: The Business-Life Connection and Cosmic Consciousness: A Journey to Well-being, Happiness and Success.
Early life
James A. Cusumano was born on April 14, 1942, in Elizabeth, New Jersey, and is the oldest of 10 children. His parents, Charles A. Cusumano and the former Carmela Madeline Catalano, are both second-generation Sicilian-Americans whose parents came to the U.S. from the same village, Cammarata, located 60 km southeast of Palermo.
Cusumano expressed an interest in chemistry after receiving a chemistry set for his eighth Christmas. Before long, he had a laboratory in the cellar of his grandparents’ home in North Elizabeth, where the Cusumano family lived for the first 14 years of his life. He sold cosmetics, adhesives and other products made in his laboratory to his neighbors; this gave him his first taste of technical entrepreneurship.
He was also interested in modern music, specifically rock and roll.
Recording career
In early 1961, Cusumano met and was signed by record producer Leo Rodgers to reorganize one of his groups, the Royal Teens, who had a success in 1958 with “Short Shorts,” but had since disbanded. Cusumano began using the stage name Dino, and became the group’s lead singer. The reorganized Royal Teens recorded “Short Shorts Twist” for Jubilee Records, and it was chosen by WINS-AM disc jockey Alan Freed as the “pick of the week.”
In 1969, with the Royal Teens, Cusumano recorded the album “Newies But Oldies” for Musicor Records. The group released two singles from this album: "Hey Jude" and a cover of British pop band The Flying Machine's 1969 song “Smile A Little Smile For Me.”
While playing with the Royal Teens, Cusumano graduated from St. Benedict's Preparatory School in Newark, New Jersey and received a B.A. in chemistry (1964) and PhD in physical chemistry (1968), both from Rutgers University. He studied business at Harvard and Stanford and became a Foreign Fellow of Churchill College at Cambridge University.
Corporate scientist and research executive
Cusumano went to work for Exxon in 1967 as a research scientist and eventually became Director of Catalytic Technology R&D. He helped develop a number of patents and commercial technologies in oil refining, petrochemicals and alternative energy. He left Exxon in 1974; he then formed Catalytica Associates with close friend Ricardo Levy and Professor Michel Boudart of Stanford University.
Silicon Valley career
Catalytica was founded in Palo Alto, California. In 1983, the company began raising venture capital; by 1993 it had become a public company on the NASDAQ. Catalytica was divided into three business units: Catalytica Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (CPI); Catalytica Energy Systems, Inc. (CESI); and Catalytica Technologies, Inc. (CTI). All three businesses were directed at socially beneficial, cost-effective products and processes—CPI made low-cost pharmaceuticals using environmentally friendly processes; CESI made low-cost sustainable energy systems; and CTI continued Catalytica’s initial strategy to make existing catalysis processes cleaner and lower-cost.
CESI invented and developed the world’s first practical, operating catalytic combustor system for gas turbines, expressly for the purpose of generating clean electricity. The company developed relationships with General Electric and Kawasaki Heavy Industries and ran a commercial clean power generator in a power plant in Santa Clara, California, for more than 1000 hours.
Catalytica’s biggest success was in pharmaceuticals. CPI, Catalytica's pharmaceutical contract manufacturing arm, made most of the world's supply of GlaxoSmithKline’s AZT or Zidovudine, the primary treatment for AIDS at that time. It also produced Bupropion—a [...] marketed as Zyban for smoking cessation and as Wellbutrin for the treatment of depression and anxiety—and Lanoxin, a digoxin [...] for cardiovascular disease. CPI also manufactured over-the-counter drugs, including the world’s supply of Neosporin, Sudafed, and Actifed. In 2000, CPI was sold to DSM Pharmaceuticals.
Film career
After the sale of Catalytica Pharmaceuticals, Cusumano formed Chateau Wally Films to enable his wife, Jane, a screenwriter, to direct the film What Matters Most. She wrote the film’s script and Cusumano served as executive producer. It was shown in 2002 on the Lifetime TV network. It starred Chad Allen, Gretchen German, Tamara Clatterbuck, Marshall R. Teague, Jim Metzler and Cusumano’s daughter, Polly Cole.
Holistic hotelier
In 2002, Cusumano met Czech real-estate developer Inez Šipulova. They were married in 2003, and worked as business partners in the purchase and restoration of Chateau Mcely, a hotel and spa located outside Prague in the St. George Forest. The castle was formerly owned by the Thurn und Taxis aristocracy. Chateau Mcely was named the Best Hotel Project in the Czech Republic in 2006. In 2007, European Union designated it as the only green five-star hotel in Central and Eastern Europe, and in 2008, it won the World Travel Award as the world’s leading green hotel.
Discography
For Jubilee Records
- 1961: The Royal Teens: "Short Shorts Twist" (single)
For Musicor Records
- 1970: The Royal Teens: Newies But Oldies (album)
- 1970: The Royal Teens: "Hey Jude" (single)
- 1970: The Royal Teens: "Smile A Little Smile For Me" (single)
For Chateau Records
- 2011: Dino: Sounds of the 60s (album)
- 2012: Dino: Dino’s Rock n’ Roll Favorites Part 1 (album)
- 2013: Dino: Dino’s Rock n’ Roll Favorites Part 2 (album)
Bibliography
- Freedom from Mid-East Oil (2007) ISBN 097940522X
- Cosmic Consciousness (2011) ISBN 8073215667
- Balance: The Business-Life Connection (2013) ISBN 1590799607