Self-Made Developer Artem Tepler Dies At 41
Artem Tepler, a Los Angeles-based developer and co-founder of Schon Tepler, died by suicide on Wednesday at the age of 41. The Los Angeles County medical examiner confirmed Tepler’s manner of death.
Tepler made his first investment, a $300K single-family home, at the age of 23. He formed Schon Tepler with co-founder Paul Schon in 2009, acquiring, renovating and selling multifamily properties that wound up in distress during the Global Financial Crisis, before branching out to property management and construction financing, among other niches.
Tepler was “one of the most amazing humans,” Schon wrote on a GoFundMe page that is raising money for Tepler’s funeral and his daughter’s college fund.
“He was so generous, and giving,” Schon wrote on the GoFundMe page, which had raised more than $139K by Friday morning. “I'm sure we were all touched by him in many incredible ways.”
RIP Artem. You will be really missed. You were a true mensch and always made time to talk to me no matter how busy you were. Very saddened by this news. RIP friend. https://t.co/2FW8ZsEkXF
— Keith Wasserman (@Keith_Wasserman) November 3, 2023
Tepler was the son of a car salesman and moved to the U.S. from Siberia when he was a child. He studied finance at Rutgers University in New Jersey, during which time he started his own real estate business focused on buying distressed properties in New Jersey and Florida. He moved to Los Angeles in 2009.
“I will forever be grateful to my father, who left everything behind and brought me to this amazing country when I was in 4th grade,” Tepler wrote on X, then known as Twitter, on July 4 this year. “I’m blessed to have all the opportunities in this amazing country.”
He is survived by his fiancée and his daughter, The Real Deal reported.
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Schon Tepler has completed almost two dozen LA multifamily projects to date, including four mixed-use projects and four custom homes — with the latter being something that Tepler told Urbanize LA magazine in an interview published in September he would do more of if he were starting again.
But the firm made a name for itself as a prolific developer of small multifamily properties, with Schon and Tepler embracing concepts like co-living and micro-units to produce more housing at more affordable levels more quickly.
“Small properties allow us to do more with less,” Tepler told Bisnow in 2018. “Focusing on smaller-scale projects allows us to get through projects faster, and work on more projects at once.”
Tepler had a history of anxiety and depression, according to the report on his death by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office.
But Tepler’s mental health conditions didn't affect his generosity toward the real estate community. After news of his death became public, social media circles of real estate professionals were filled with tributes to his kindness and willingness to connect with anyone and openly discuss the ins and outs of the business.
I've been trying to distract myself since last night and hearing about @ArtemTepler
— Anthony Tumbiolo (@AnthonyTumbiolo) November 3, 2023
I've struggled with my own mental health and tweeted about this a while back
Artem DM'd me to try and help
I wish I could have done the same for him
Terrible loss
RIP Artem
Absolute gut punch. A prominent figure in LA's development scene and someone who was great about sharing how the sausage is made.
— Hiten Samtani (@hitsamty) November 3, 2023
I disagreed with a lot of his views but still found much to admire about the man and will remember him fondly. https://t.co/d7qpYcnED9
Know a bit about what huge personal guarantees can feel like when things turn south quickly.
— Sean Sweeney (@seandsweeney) November 3, 2023
It’s a very, very tough spot.
I’ll miss him so much. We used to joke about who was a crazier developer for the stuff we did. Always felt connected as we were fighting the same fight.…
If you or someone you know is experiencing emotional distress, mental health difficulties or a suicide crisis, the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifelife is a 24/7 hotline providing support from trained listeners. You can text or call 988 for support, or chat online at suicidepreventionlifeline.org. Text support is also available from the National Alliance on Mental Illness, which you can access by texting NAMI to 741741.
