Founder Kathleen Tepley maps a jam-packed month of investor dinners, pitch panels, AI/aviation briefings, and Opal’s Napa wealth summit—plus how LACG’s “give-to-give” ethos powers it all.
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Show Notes:
In this episode, Adam Torres interviews Kathleen Tepley back for LACG’s monthly briefing, covering October’s stacked calendar: SF & LA Tech Week activations, a flight/aviation investor update, Nasdaq-partnered programming at Cal Poly Pomona, Opal Group’s Napa Wealth Conference with private LACG gatherings, and a Bay Area real-estate roundtable. Kathleen also shares LACG’s “give-to-give” mission and a sneak peek at 2026 planning.
About Kathleen Tepley
Founder & CEO of Los Angeles Consulting Group (LACG), a global business development practice that primarily serves family offices, closely-held operating businesses, philanthropic foundations, and differentiated service providers in the private capital markets.
LACG hosts two different business development advisory practices, both managed by Kathleen.
LACG’s network enhancement practice proactively provides clients with strategic counsel and timely, curated introductions to relevant business partners within LACG’s ecosystem. Through LACG’s event production practice, Kathleen and her partners conceptualize and produce public and invitation-only private events for the global private capital community, designed to enhance awareness of the client’s brand (the Lido Family Office Investment Symposium based in Beverly Hills and Santa Monica since 2010 is an LACG supported production, for example).
About Los Angeles Consulting Group
Los Angeles Consulting Group provides business development consulting, support and outsourced services to professional service firms.
The firm’s approach to expansion relies on four steps:
• Evaluate the firm’s development strategy and formulate or revise as necessary;
• Determine the appropriate tactics to execute the growth plan;
• Ensure that there is infrastructure to support the strategy and tactics;
• Aid in implementation.
Full Unedited Transcript
Hey, I’d like to welcome you to another episode of Mission Matters. My name is Adam Torres, and if you’d like to apply to be a guest in the show, just head on over to mission matters.com and click on Be Our Guest to Apply. All right, so it’s already October and we got a return guest today. So we are bringing back on Kathleen Ley for our monthly edition of Mission Matters, where we talk about Los Angeles Consulting Group, LACG, and what’s going on events and.
Otherwise, Kathleen, first off, before we go any further, welcome back to the show. Thank you so much, Adam. It’s such a pleasure to be back. Always happy to see you. It seems like we don’t spend enough time together, but again, thank you. I mean, we do this. You’re my longest running host, month to month. You are the longest.
So you’re the survivor. I love this. You guys do so much. You unpack the community and it wouldn’t be the same without you. So I love our partnership and I look forward to so many fun adventures to come in 2026. Let’s. Flows out 2025 strong and looking forward to a lot of activity.
All right, so just to get us kicked off here let’s do an overview for the new listeners of Los Angeles Consulting Groups. So let’s start with that, like talk a little bit more about what you do in the group. Love what we do. I, love the fact that after 25 plus years focused on business advisory.
And within our global space we get to do what we get to do. I mean, this is by choice. Our ecosystem is family offices, investors, VCs and pe, private equity. And we get to spend time with our entire community focused on advisory support and impactful events throughout the globe. October’s.
Is no, minimum. I mean, we’ve got I think one of our biggest months yet in October, so we’re excited to share how September, what happened in September. Let’s close that out one real quick. How’d that go? Yeah, so a little bit. So September was great. Remember with the summer we usually try to take a few weeks off to build out the end of the year.
And, you know, September we had an. A new activity. We had a home in Bel Air that we did a real estate family office dinner at, and because of that we’re gonna close out 2025 with another family office real estate dinner, which we’ll talk about on our next podcast with the Maybach Mercedes group.
They’re gonna be co-hosting us at this home and it is so gorgeous up there. Mm-hmm. We had a, Michelin chef and so that activity will be on our next podcast, but September set the precedents for this end of the year and we’re so excited. We think that’s why October is so full. Yeah. And I feel like we’re gonna blink.
This is crazy to me. I feel like we’re gonna blink and it’s gonna be holidays. and after the holidays, it’s gonna be another original mixer coming up. Wow. I feel like my year is getting, like, that’s when I know the year’s almost up. It’s, or the next year started, whichever order it happens in, because we got another original mixer on my hands.
We don’t have a planned yet. I have to make sure that Brian has a date in mind. But you know, usually we do two or three a year. We only did one this year, but that one alone, I mean, holy moly, that one alone. Yeah, that was huge. That was huge. So I think planning for 2026 and finding out when he wants to do it, people are begging us right now.
I just, we can’t. we don’t have a date. Mm-hmm. We don’t have a date in 2025. There’s no dates left. So I think if we can get a date and give it to you guys and share it with our community and start building it out, it’ll be that much more impactful than 2020 fives was. Yeah. Well, let’s hop into this month what we got, and we’re gonna have this so we’re recording this today on October 6th.
You know what, I’m gonna have this released today too, because you got some stuff already happening. So we’re gonna make sure to get this one out quickly. Thank you. So let’s start with, wait a minute. You’re in San Francisco this week. We are in San Francisco this week. I’m working remote, supporting them.
Catherine Ree, who’s with VCPE group is part of our family. She’s been part of our family for years, and she has asked us to coup support her tech week in San Francisco, in la and it’s been such an honor and we’re really looking forward to the lineup. So today, Monday. October 6th, we’re doing a robotic autonomous food truck event in San Francisco.
Mm-hmm. If you are interested and we get this out today, please let us know. We’re happy to get you connected and get you to the event. If not, I’m sure we’ll have it for tomorrow and we will be doing the tech week San Francisco Private Dinner for the VCPE and family office community. And that one is at such an incredible location.
So, mm, we’re excited to be back in San Francisco, at least in spirit, that Catherine will be managing those events for us in San Francisco this week. What the heck is a robotic, autonomous food truck that you’re just gonna have to go to see? Is that like an arm that, like, just what, what is that all about?
Well, that’s the new thing, you know, with AI and all the, if you go to the space clubs or if you go to SpaceX and look at some of those new initiatives that they have, the new models they have food trucks, come on. Think about it. You can serve more people, you can have more options. And we’re really just excited to support this VC group.
He and vc, but the VCs are doing this this autonomous food truck. I hope we can get one in la I don’t want it just to be to Los Angeles or to San Francisco, but stay tuned. We’ll get them down here. I mean, just, just program it, just, you know, there’s nobody driving it anyway. It’s fine. Well, so gotta get it here, program it, send it down.
It’s fine. Oh, it’s not, it could be like a Waymo too, I don’t know. Or just, yeah, it could. I definitely could. I dunno. Those things scare me, bud. It’s all moving. It’s all moving so fast, Kathleen. I don’t know. I know. I love it. Oh, and then it looks like you also have oh, you’re doing some more with flight this month?
Yeah. We are, oh my gosh. To see this group of aviation experts and enthusiasts. And two weeks ago we did the webinar and in the background, Craig McFerrin was sitting at a air show and behind him was the Blue Angels. Oh wow. I mean, how many times do you do a webinar and the Blue Angels are behind you?
So I mean, just never for me. Yeah. Well this is such an amazing opportunity because this is the flight world and the entertainment space coming together and sharing this platform of incredible programs, history, talking to some of these pilots and this ecosystem. You and I talk about this all the time, community ecosystem.
And to be able to support them in building this out because we don’t wanna lose our history with aviation, especially with AI and where it’s gonna go. We don’t wanna lose this. Yeah. So seeing them and talking about how the community is, where they’re gonna be at the different flight shows, and then also their programming.
We’re just really honored to work with the flight team and do another Thursday. Private investor presentation on Thursday, October 9th from 11 to 12 o’clock. Please let us know if you want more information about their initiative, but it is so incredible to talk to this this group of professionals that have, I believe, a combined a hundred years experience between the four of them.
Mm. So we’re excited to share it. We’ll have it October 9th. We, we are trying to do it twice a month. Stay tuned. In November we’ll do a private lunch for our flight enthusiasts, so that’s awesome. That’s awesome. And you got some new graphics on your website. I’m liking this new, look by the way.
And I just pulled up the site and I’m. Seeing like the darker kind of like you got the darker, the lighter. What’s up with that? Come on, you’re changing it up a little on me. Well, you know, we gotta stay up with the times and we’ve had Donna Mercene ek, who’s been with us now for six years and she is entering a new chapter of her life. We’re really excited to continue to have her on our team, and she has revamped a few things we’re adding and we’re looking forward to our partnership with Mission Matters for 2026. Please stay tuned. Mm. We’ll have that all built out in December. So if you think there’s changes now on the website, just wait oh until January 1st.
It looks good. And then I also see some different types of events too. So like panel and pitch coming up. What’s that one? That’s a new one. I don’t remember that one. So I remember 2022, right after COVID we decided to partner through our family office association with the tech world and Tech Week, LA Tech Week San Francisco was huge for us.
And we did a big event on the rooftop at the Four Seasons Residences in Beverly Hills. Mm-hmm. We partnered with trusted Advisors, we partnered with the tech community and we had almost. 250 guests at that event. Wow. So this year Catherine Ree said, let’s partner again. Let’s do this. We’ve got it. And we are so excited because our collaboration with CAA mm-hmm.
Creative Artist Agency at their Century City headquarters. They’ll be supporting us on Wednesday the 15th of October, and we’ll have a pitch and panel event for our PEVC and family offices. We’re really excited because this is a very high level event a very high secure event. So you must be registered.
They will be approved through the ecosystem. Some of our speakers will be Mr. Larry Naer, founder of the e. He’ll be one of our speakers. Wow. Um, We’ve got Samir Meta. Mergers and acquisitions of IBM, Keith Coleman, co-chair of the UN joint SDG fund. We also have nasdaq. NASDAQ is coming, so if you go to our website you’ll be able to see some of the other speakers, but this is quite incredible.
Now the goal of the LA Tech. Week from 10 to two we’ll have the pitch and panel opportunity at CAA and then yours truly, Los Angeles Consulting Group will be hosting one of our famous cocktails and conversations from three to 6:00 PM Mm. And please register to attend. We still are looking for a couple more partners which will give you some opportunity for some branding for that mixer.
And then we’ll close out with a private dinner in Century City for. That date. Now, don’t worry if for some reason you do not get in on time, we’re repeating this at Cal Pony, Cal Poly Pomona mm-hmm. With coordination of NASDAQ on October 17th. So for some reason you can’t get into all the events on the 15th.
There is another event that we’re doing on the 17th, and we’ll be repeating this with some of these speakers and in coordination with nasdaq. Wow, I can’t believe we’re in tech week already, LA Tech Week. Well, it’s busy like, oh my goodness. All the different events. What’s crazy to me is when you just now said that, I’m like, I bet you I got an event I’m supposed to be at and don’t know.
I’m sure you do. I feel like she’s going got something he signed up for. We’re doing something and I don’t even know. I’m like, wait a minute. Come to our events. Oh my gosh. Come to our events. Hope I would love to have you. We’d have fun. I’s fun. I know you do have fun. Fun. We always have fun at your events.
You get. That’s the best betcha. I don’t have to work at your events. That’s the best part. Enjoy and have fun. That’s the yes network. This network is. That’s it. And what is this? Asia Innovation Ca Academy. That’s interesting. So that is the backup and it’s a secondary event for Tech Week. Mm. Catherine Re, again, is offering this to our community.
It will be at Poly. What is it? Poona? What, what is that one though? It, it is all for CEOs. We’ll have 30 CEOs. Gathering to speak on the Asia restaurant business growth and capital market space. Mm. The speakers are incredible and again, in coordination with nasdaq the content, the attendees Mm, will be exceptional.
Now, again, if you can’t make it on the 15th, the VIP support for the 17th will be incredible. So we hope to see you at one of those events. Oh yeah. Either on the 15th or the 17th. I might have to do that. I’m like, oh, this is interesting. This is cool. Let’s see what’s going on here too. And I know everything is, so if I’m skipping over stuff, let me know, Kathleen.
No, because No, you’ve got it. You’ve got it. I’m checking these out and I love And then Opal Group. Okay. They’re in the mix today. Napa Valley. Yes. Come on, talk to me. Yes. This is one of my favorite movies. Poor you. Are you gonna have to go to that one Poor, poor year? Yes. You’re gonna have to go to Napa.
Oh, I do. I do. Okay. You know, I know it. Someone’s gotta do it. Someone got, it’s one of my favorite weeks. Yeah, it is. And last year, families asked us if we were going to Napa for mm-hmm. The Opal Group wealth Conference for family offices. And we said, well, we can. And so we put together a whole group of family offices partnered with Opal Group and are supporting them in this initiative.
What I love this year is that not only do we have. Two events, private events, but we have four private events. Mm-hmm. So when you’re going to a big conference like that and you’re meeting families throughout the conference, we’ll make sure you meet people. We have a partnership with them. So we do have some discounted rates for you to attend.
Please register if you wanna go to the main conference. Mm-hmm. And then you’ll also see four invitations for private events. We’ve got it. The event starts on the 22nd. The conference ends on the 24th, so each day we have some type of activity. Mm-hmm. First day will be an investor dinner and a wine tasting, so two different events.
The second day will be another family office dinner and a wine tour. Last year we went to Chaplet and had the most amazing time. Tasted about seven of their wines. Again, got an opportunity to purchase the wines at a discount, leaving the the event, and just, it was such a fabulous event that the president and owner of Chaplet is inviting us back and we’re now reserving room for three times the number that we had last year.
Wow. Seats are filling up. This will be a great community event. And what we love about this is not only do our families come, we’ve got panelists that we’ve got some opportunity. And this is just, I enjoy Napa. Mm-hmm. If you’re gonna go there and meet families and spend some time there and drink great wine, this is the event to attend.
Hmm. And talk about like that, it’s like a couple day deal. Right. And there’s like multiple sessions. Like talk about like the flow of that. ’cause I know it’s interesting. What I love about the Wealth Conference is you have anywhere from Family Dynamics, which Jason Ma manages that Dr. Jeremy Lurie. they really start out the conference in the family office, family dynamics, mm-hmm.
Discussion. We have an AI. Session. We’ve got a tax session. We’ve got A-P-E-V-C session. And what’s fun about this is you’ve got the best of the best that are sitting on the panels. Hmm. ULI Maybach last year opened up the conference for us with the Maybach foundation, and it was all about family and legacy.
And that was such an incredible opportunity to hear about his experience being a multi-generational family. And then you get to meet other families from a younger generation, maybe their second generation, all the way up to 12th generation. But these panelists opportunities are such an incredible, conference to attend. And again, because of being part of the Mission Matters Los Angeles Consulting Group community, we reserve discounted tickets for our community. So instead of a $3,100 ticket it’s down to a zero cost up to 1500. So please, join us. October 22nd through Friday, October 24th, and we’re happy to host and support you at the conference itself and the four private events that support it.
Plus Opal has their own amazing conference events and how cool. Even a, and even in like a, a wine tour too. Like in between, like That’s cool. Yes. Yes, their wine tour, they shuttled everybody up to this winery and you know, I guess 200 guests. It was such an incredible event, and Opal does a really great job.
This is one of the events that we support, and then each year we support Miami and the Hamptons. Hmm. So please join us. Man’s would love to have you. Amazing. Next year mission matters. You better be there. You better be there. That is amazing. Oh, you got that one and then you got, and you’re still, we’re still in there.
you got a family office round table too. So you’re still going back to San Francisco too. So we’re going back to San Francisco the last week of October, and right now we are building up the event. You were, this is a busy month for you. Wow. Totally, totally busy. So when we head back. To San Francisco.
Mm. We host a reception at the Rosewood in Palo Alto. This one will be on Wednesday the 29th. More general in nature. So we’ll have investors, family offices, ai. Mm-hmm. Medical, biotech, and real estate. So that will be that reception on Wednesday the 29th in San Francisco, Palo Alto area. Mm-hmm. Then on Thursday the 30th, we’re bringing back our special.
Family office and investor real estate event in San Francisco. And that one will be exclusive to about, I would say 12 to 15 families. Mm-hmm. All real estate focused. And then to close out the afternoon, we will be doing a cocktails and conversation and then a private real estate investor dinner in San Francisco.
So. We’ve got a full lineup and we love coming quarterly. This will be our last San Francisco trip of the year, and we’re just excited to see y’all. They begged us to come back. We couldn’t fit it in. And yeah, last minute, it all worked out for the last week of October, just before Halloween. Dang. I love it.
This is a busy, busy month for you. And what I love, what I do love about it though too, is it’s not just, it’s not busy for the sake of being busy, like the, some of the, the events you’re partnering with. So San Francisco Tech Week, LA Tech Week you have virtual going on, working with the flight guys and what they’re doing at panel and pitch.
Your family office, the dinners, the wine tastings Asian innovation, academy man. It’s diverse too. So it’s not just like the same thing. It’s all diverse. You got new, programming you are building on programming you’ve done in the past and taking it further. Wow. this is work.
So excited. I love it. But it’s amazing ’cause it just, it just shows you’re fulfilling what you aim to do for your community. Your community of investors, of family offices, of partners, of sponsors. It’s, it’s wonderful. Well, we can’t wait for November and we can’t wait for the next podcast. There’s a lot coming up.
Oh, I see it to close out November, December. I see it. Awesome. So last thing I’ll bring up for everybody Kathleen, people wanna get plugged in, they wanna get involved. How do they do that? Please visit our website at Los Angeles consulting group.com. You can also email me if you’re interested in any type of partnership opportunities.
There’s a lot going on. We depend on you, and our goal is, mm-hmm. To give back to the community. You and I, Adam, we’ve talked about this. It’s the give to give mentality. Yep. Our community has this magical support and impact. It is global. And we wanna get you involved. So please go to our website or email me at my initials k jt at los Angeles consultant group.com and join us.
We look forward to seeing you at one of our next events. And Adam. We look forward to seeing you soon. Oh yeah. Well, in February listing, just so you know, we’ll definitely put some links to the website in the show notes, so you can just click on the links and head right on over. And speaking of the audience, if this is your first time with Mission Matters and you haven’t done it yet, hit that subscribe or follow button.
This is a daily show. Each and every day we’re bringing you new content, new ideas, and hopefully new inspiration to help you along the way on your journey as well. So again, hit. That subscribe or follow button. And Kathleen, thanks again for coming on as always, and I will see you in November. See you soon, Adam.
