Crown Point’s Bulldog Park was bustling on Friday, September 16 during Oak Partners’ annual Oaktoberfest event. Oak Partners clients, friends and family, and Oak Partners staff gathered to enjoy some delicious food catered by Mission BBQ and some fantastic live music performed by Mr. Funnyman. The event was a great way for Oak Partners to celebrate its clients and show them some appreciation.
“It’s designed as a thank you to the clients. We’re not here to give them a sales presentation—I’m not going to be up on the stage talking about mutual funds or anything. It’s just great for people to come out, have some beer, listen to some music, and eat some good food,” said Mario Ruiz, Partner and Wealth Advisor for Oak Partners.
The Oaktoberfest event started small in 2010—the event was so small that the Oak Partners team held the event right in their office parking lot. Since the event’s humble beginnings, however, the Oaktoberfest has grown drastically. A few years ago Oak Partners moved the Oaktoberfest from its parking lot to Bulldog Park and it boomed to the 500-person event it is today.
“We’re basically up against the limits of what the caterers can provide food-wise,” laughed Steve Kavois, Partner and Advisor at Oak Partners. “This originally started as an open house for our new office in Crown Point, and we had no idea that it was going to turn into this event that’s getting over 500 plus people a year.”
The Oak Partners team is proud of how much the event has grown over the years and delighted that they can continue to give something back to their clients.
“A lot of our clients are retired and looking for things to do on a Friday night. So, it’s nice that we can provide a space and an activity for them so that they can mingle and make friends,” said Kavois.
Out of all the fun things that went down at the Oaktoberfest, Ruiz and Kavois both admitted that their favorite part of the evening was getting to chat with the clients. They normally don’t get to see their clients unless they’re in a business setting, so they love having the opportunity to connect with their clients on a different level. They want to make their clients feel like they’re not just clients, but part of a bigger family.
“We usually only see clients once or twice a year in meetings, but it’s nice to see them in this atmosphere as well. It’s more casual— it’s just a fun way to hang out and get to know them better,” said Ruiz.
Oaktoberfest is one of Oak Partners’ biggest events, but the business likes to do all kinds of events for its clients throughout the year. Just a couple of months ago, Oak Partners held a waterpark gathering in which clients were able to bring their kids and grandkids out for a day of fun. Oak Partners also holds many educational events for its clients and talks to them about different things such as portfolios.
“We mix it up. We try to do fun ones, but we also try to do educational,” said Ruiz.
Ruiz was thankful to his team members for helping make this year’s Oaktoberfest such a great success. He’s grateful that all their hard work gave him and his fellow partners a wonderful opportunity to focus on the clients.
“The Oak staff has done a great job of organizing everything. They’re up here at the tables checking people in and making sure everything in the event goes smoothly, and it just gives the advisors and the partners a chance to just relax and talk to the clients. It’s a great night,” said Ruiz.
The Oaktoberfest was a great time for all in attendance—nobody will be forgetting it anytime soon. Next year’s Oaktoberfest is sure to be just as memorable.
Securities and advisory services offered through LPL Financial, a Registered Investment Advisor, Member FINRA/SIPC. To learn more about Oak Partners and its connections with its clients and community, visit https://www.oakpartners.com/.
