Welcome back to the Sunstone Way!
It has been a super busy time for the entire Sunstone team as we visit and participate in annual conferences, tech weeks and summits all over California (I even got to be part of the Long Beach delegation to the New York City Climate Week last month). September and October are favorite months for these gatherings – probably because the kids are back in school and everyone is concentrating on getting things done before the holiday season.
Southern California in particular has been packed with gatherings this year. Our Sunstone Investment Group team has been part of four Tech Weeks in the last month and a half – Glendale, Long Beach, Los Angeles, and Orange County. Our Sunstone Cities team has gone to Sacramento, Lake Tahoe and Yosemite National Forest, as well as several Southern California conferences. We will be at the 2026 ICMA (International City/County Management Association) Annual Conference next week in Long Beach, too.
Why We Go
We aren’t in it for the parties – honest!
Remember that one of Sunstone’s core values is community. We believe that connecting people with each other, creating public-private partnerships and building community is the most powerful force on earth.
Each of these gatherings, whether they are Tech Weeks attended by innovators and investors, or conferences for city managers and other officials, is made up of a community of like minds trying to make things better. We are at home in all these communities, and love the opportunity to make connections with attendees and/or be the facilitators to connect others.
In My Space
I have a particular affinity for group gatherings like the League of California Cities, the LAEDC 88 Cities Conference and the upcoming ICMA Conference. These events attract city manager-types looking for new and innovative ways to serve their residents.
I was one of them for more than 20 years, ending up as the Director of Economic Development at Long Beach. I speak the language and understand the issues.
Let me take a moment to extol the virtues of these public servants. The vast majority have dedicated their careers to making their community a better place to live and work. Because they do their jobs in the public eye, they can be targets of criticism. Some people seem to delight in charging city workers with ulterior motives without any proof or cause – and expect the city employees to take it without retaliation.
In my opinion, they deserve better.
A Secret Sauce
Governments, from municipalities to states and even to the federal government, are vital to creating the economic development that improves our communities. I’ve said before that our ability to understand and work with governments is Sunstone’s secret sauce. Government is the “public” in our public-private partnership (P3) approach to everything from infrastructure financing to creating innovation hubs.
Government officials have the ability to determine the will of their residents and to come up with ways to make those desires become reality. Sometimes that takes the form of filling potholes or picking up the trash. Other times it means coming up with innovative ways to provide a new civic center or incentives to attract new businesses (and the jobs they create).
Getting together at conferences and the like allow officials from different cities to share their problems – and their solutions – with their peers. It is a primary way for innovation to spread. When we can help, whether by providing a financing approach or by bringing potential partners together, it has been a good day.
And it’s the Sunstone Way!
Now I’m off to the ICMA Conference to be a Sunstone. And remember, you can be a Sunstone too!
John Keisler
CEO & Managing Partner
Sunstone
To receive a copy of this blog each week, sign up at the link.
Have a comment about this topic, or want to suggest topics for future blogs? Click here.
Sunstone Investment Group, headquartered in Southern California, is the holding company for the Sunstone family of entities, including: Sunstone Investment Management Services, responsible for administrative services; Sunstone Advisors, an SEC-registered investment adviser, which oversees Sunstone Venture Partners LLC, a private capital fund manager; Sunstone Cities, a government economic development consulting firm; and Sunstone Community Fund, a charitable organization that supports entrepreneurship. Sunstone is dedicated to enriching lives through investment, entrepreneurship, and community.
The information and opinions expressed in this blog are those of the Sunstone Investment Group and are provided for informational purposes only. This content is provided for general informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice, a solicitation, or an offer to buy or sell any security or financial product. The opinions expressed herein are subject to change without notice and should not be relied upon as the basis for any investment decision. Readers are encouraged to consult with their own legal, tax, and financial advisers before making any investment decisions.
Email us at contact@sunstoneinvestment.com.
©Sunstone, 2026