One of the highlights of the summer season for the family office world is the Opal Newport Conference, and the peak event for many years is the exclusive Newport Summer Party hosted by Joe Reilly and Jim Leach.
A small event for friends that started ten years ago on Leach’s sprawling Malbone estate, the oldest mansion in Newport and one included on the National Register of Historic Homes, has since moved to the dazzling Audrain Museum and became the must-have invitation of the conference held annually in breezy Newport. This year’s event exceeded all expectations and was abuzz with the excitement of old and new friends coming together for a cold Dark ’n Stormy amid some of the most beautifully preserved and powerful American cars of the 1960s. While the more business-oriented guests huddled in the corners speaking of inflation and some of the more interesting trends and opportunities they heard about during the day, rumors also circulated about the wave of mergers in the RIA world and who was next to the altar.
Meanwhile, the laughter echoed among the Stingrays and Challengers, as the lively guests including Joe Williams and his lovely wife Janine, Alexandra Cohen of the ACU Fund, Pierre du Pont, Dr. Nicholas Perricone, Anne and David Ford, James Rosebush, Alexander Leach, Terry and Leslie Laughren, Michael Gabelli, Rosemary Sagar, Marc Segelnick, Nina Murphy, Marc Lewinstein, Elijah Duckworth-Schachter, and Tom Handler discussed business, pleasure and the success of various charity initiatives they were involved in, including the wave of impact efforts in education, healthcare, and environmental conservation.
Seemingly as soon as it began, the energy peaked and guests bid farewell as they went off to their various dinners and yacht cruises, blowing air kisses and passing business cards, and promising to see each other there next year if not sooner. As we piled into our convertible with a “borrowed” bottle of wine our hearts were full of joy and unforgettable memories.”
