Sen. Ted W. Lieu honors owners of Tony P's Dockside Diner in Marina del Rey

Tony P’s Dockside Grill named local Senate district ‘Business of the Year’

SACRAMENTO – Sen. Ted W. Lieu today presented Tony P’s Dockside Grill owners Tony Palermo and Dan Ringwood with the 2012 Business of the Year Award for his Senate district as part of an annual tribute to small business.

“Tony P’s is the success it is largely because Dan and Tony work hard and never forget their larger responsibility to support their community,” Lieu said during the Salute to Small Business Day events at the Sacramento Convention Center. “I commend them for their exemplary commitment to helping meet local needs by donating to hundreds of non-profit organizations and schools through their ‘Dockside Dollars’ fundraising program.”

Last year, the Dockside Dollars program passed $320,000 in donations to local groups where 25 percent of a customers’ bill can be earmarked for local schools.

Convened by the California Small Business Association, the event included nearly 100 legislators and small businesses from their districts and was sponsored by small business organizations statewide.

Ringwood and Palermo have been in the restaurant industry for more than 40 years. In early 1985, the two quit their respective jobs and opened Teasers in Santa Monica. In 1996, they opened Tony P’s, recently earned its seventh consecutive California Gold Award from the Southern California Restaurant Writers Association

Palermo served as a board member of the Santa Monica Convention and Visitors Bureau for five years and was chairman for two years. His efforts have helped the bureau play a key role in attracting new business to the area and generating tax revenue.

Active in the redevelopment of the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica, Palermo played a significant role in the Promenade’s maturity as one of the Westside’s chief attractions. He has served for five years on the Board of the Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce, including two years as Vice President, and will be sworn in Friday as chair of the LAX Coastal Area Chamber of Commerce.

In addition to the luncheon to honor the small business honorees, other highlights of the day included an exhibit display and morning session featuring remarks by various policymakers.

For more, visit Lieu’s Web site at the address below.

Ted W. Lieu chairs the Senate Labor Committee and represents nearly 1 million residents of Senate District 28, which includes the cities of Carson, El Segundo, Hermosa Beach, Lomita, Manhattan Beach, Redondo Beach and Torrance, as well as portions of Long Beach, Los Angeles and San Pedro. For more, visit www.senate.ca.gov/lieu

 Photo caption: Tony Palermo and his daughter Francesca with Sen. Ted W. Lieu. (Photo by Taras Garcia).