We’ve all heard anecdotes like, “If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere” and “It’s a dog-eat-dog world out there.” Well, anyone who has opened a business in Manhattan knows that truer words were never spoken – especially in the dog training business. And one doggie oriented entrepreneur, a former aspiring actress no less, who spent decades beating the sidewalks, doorsteps and parks of our great city for business, can attest to this. Meet Kate Perry, owner of Kate Perry Dog Training & Daycare.
Gone are the days when upscale regional car shows were about relationships, fun and healthy commerce. There is no art of the conversation, or relationship growth. The class these events were once known for has all but disappeared. In other words, it’s all about the price and the car being sold. And much like their larger cousins, the big auto shows that draw millions of consumers per annum to convention centers, they have become commercial to the point that you don’t recognize why you are there anymore.
Saddened by the current state of these shows and recognizing that car collecting and classic car inventory management were no longer a hobby-based cottage industry, in 2017, Philip launched The Turtle Invitational. Having been an avid car collector virtually his entire life, and mentored by his “second father,” automotive business legend Malcom S. Pray, Jr., Philip knew he had to restore the sass and fun these shows were long known for. He knew he had a mission to return the former glory of elbow-to-elbow interaction, on a more intimate level. But he also knew that many of his wealth management clients desired a show that focused on the very industry so many had spent decades building; the car collecting, trading and management sector. Early on in Hollow Brook Wealth Management’s founding days, Philip discovered many of his clients were also car collectors. And for any expert or real enthusiast in the space, they knew it was, and is, no longer a cottage industry, or a hobby. After all, billions of dollars are spent every year on logistics, inventory management, and, of course, the sale of these rare gems themselves.
This year’s invitational features a schedule of intimate, exclusive, educational, and exhilarating events for any enthusiast of both classic automobiles and finance. According to Philip, “The Turtle tries to bring it all back to people and camaraderie and connections. But also meeting new people. All that as an attractor of being, if you will, a fun get-together.”
Philip views The Turtle as a true blend of the famed Sun Valley Retreat with an old fashion classic car collector’s show, “The idea of this is being more like a salon or Chautauqua. On Friday night, we have an intimate dinner with about 100 people who are a close-knit group. We have a speaker that’s usually not from the car world. For example, in 2023, we had one of the leading investors in biotech talk about the revolution in medicine and the future of medicine and just talked about that, which was really kind of cool. Then on Saturday we have a symposium in the morning. Again, in 2023, we had an unbelievable morning with the Revs Institute doing an Engine 101 course. Then we do a tour of Northern Westchester County with all the cars, escorted by the State Police, ending up at the Malcolm Pray Achievement Center which is at the border of Greenwich and Bedford.”
Every year, Philip honors Malcom Pray who spent decades building the largest Audi, Volkswagen and Porsche dealerships and was known to be a brilliant businessman and entrepreneur. Pray sold his dealership group in 1999 for an astronomical sum of money – something no other dealership group had done before. A notoriously brilliant and talented car collector, Pray tragically lost his son, Malcolm Pray, III, in a 1986 car accident. Philip had been Malcolm’s best friend since childhood. Over the many decades together since, Philip became the “adopted son” to the senior Pray, cherishing every moment and every kernel of adoration, support and knowledge bestowed upon him.
Pray started the Pray Achievement Center to inspire young people to succeed using educational programs and a world-class private automobile collection. A mission that the Pray Achievement Center, which Philip sits on the Board of, still fulfills to this day. Clearly it was more than the knowledge of classic cars and a drive for business that Philip learned from the older Pray. According to Philip’s Chief of Staff, Phoebe Rubenstein, “It’s not just at the Pray Achievement Center where Philip supports education and mentoring youth. Connecting with the next generation is a huge part of what Philip works on at Hollow Brook. Any family that we service, if there is a next generation present (children or grandchildren) he really champions the fact that we are open, willing, and able to give financial literacy, responsibility, mentorship to all ages.”
Whether it is teaching his clients’ children or those who visit the Pray Achievement Center, or just in this interview, it’s as clear as day that Philip Richter has an incredible depth of knowledge that he loves to pass onto others. Something I have a feeling he inherited not just from his time with Malcolm Pray, but also from his mother, Judy Richter who was a renowned horse trainer and riding instructor at the family’s Coker Farm, where the Turtle Invitational is held. The matriarch of the family taught many champions over her storied career, including an Olympic entrant in the boycotted 1980 Olympics. Sadly, Judy Richter passed away in 2022.
This does, however, explain Philip’s obsession with horsepower, of all kinds. It also explains the dedication and perseverance I had found in my conversation with him. His mother began teaching Philip to ride at a very young age. Unfortunately, he faced his own trials and tribulations with horses after an accident at the age of six. But even the young Richter had the stamina and drive to rise above the trauma to keep riding. And still does to this day. Given his time in the boardroom, and with his automotive initiatives, Philip doesn’t have the time to dedicate to equestrian full time. Instead, he enjoys his time on horseback these days as an amateur Equestrian Show Jumper. His most recent showing was in Wellington, Florida this past season.
Financier. Philanthropist. Classic Car Collector. Equestrian Show Jumper. Teacher. I don’t think any of these are appropriate titles or descriptions for him. I think it’s safe to say that Philip Richter is a Renaissance Man. After all, his favorite cars are the perfect indication as to the range this Titan possesses in his cerebral arsenal, both a 1985 Jeep CJ-7 and Mercedes-Benz SL 65 Black Series: two iconic vehicles on opposite ends of the vehicular spectrum.
