State Senator Ted Lieu on Monday honored ISU Bob Gabriel Co. Insurance owner Susan Gabriel Potter with the 2014 Business of the Year Award for his Senate district as part of the annual California Small Business Day.
“Since 1962, ISU Bob Gabriel Company Insurance has been a shining example of the dedication that small businesses have in serving their communities,” Lieu said. “Susan’s commitment to community involvement serves as an inspiration to all Californians.”
For the past six decades, Bob Gabriel Company Insurance has provided personal and business insurance in Santa Monica and the surrounding area with a focus on warm, personalized service.
The independent insurance agency was founded by the late Robert Gabriel whose motto was “When you love what you do, you do it well.”
Susan Gabriel Potter is the second generation of her family to lead the company and lives by her father’s motto and carries on his guiding principles of integrity, loyalty and service to her clients and community.
“My husband Pat Potter and I are humbled, honored and at the same time excited to being honored as the small business of the year for the 28th Senate District,” Potter said. “I would like to recognize and thank Laurel Rosen, the president of the Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce, for nominating the ISU Bob Gabriel Co. Insurance to Senator Lieu.”
Potter said she wanted to thank Senator Lieu and his team for selecting her business for this award.
“My acceptance of the award would not be complete without acknowledging my father, Bob Gabriel who founded ISU (Insurance Systems United) Bob Gabriel Co. Insurance (family owned and operated) in 1962,” she said. “He was thought of as an Icon in Santa Monica and was an active community leader. Our business would not be what it is today without the spirit of our team. We our blessed with having a professional, supportive, committed staff that shares the same philosophy as ours in meeting our clients’ needs.”
Potter serves as Vice Chair of the Board of the Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce and is a board member of Santa Monica College Associates; the Santa Monica-UCLA Hospital Board; and the Santa Monica History Museum, which the Gabriel family founded. She is also a member of the Rotary Club of Santa Monica and supports many community organizations.
Convened by the California Small Business Association and sponsored by small business organizations statewide, the event was held at the Sheraton Grand Hotel in Sacramento and included seventy legislators and small businesses from their districts.
In addition to the luncheon to honor small business owners, other highlights of the day included an exhibit display, networking reception, and morning session featuring remarks by Senate President pro Tem Darrell Steinberg and Assembly Speaker Toni Atkins.
