Tony Palermo
Biographical Sketch

An active resident of Westchester and co-owner of Tony P’s Dockside Grill in Marina del Rey, Tony Palermo is dedicated to community service on both a personal and business level.

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 is currently on the board of the LAX Coastal Area Chamber of Commerce and serves on the Excutive Board for the 2009/2010 and 2010/2011 term. He also serves on the Marina del Rey Convention and Visitors Bureau and was a founding member of the Santa Monica College Trade and Tourism Advisory Committee, the Playa Sunrise Rotary Club and the Marina del Rey Sheriff’s Station Support Unit as well as having served on the the Marina del Rey Sheriff’s Station Community Advisory Committee.

Professionally, Palermo serves on the State Board for the California Restaurant Association, the largest and longest serving nonprofit restaurant trade association in the nation representing more than 88,000 foodservice establishments in the Golden State. He served for two years as President of the Los Angeles Chapter of the California Restaurant Association (2002-2007), having previously served as that organization’s Vice President.

Tony P’s Dockside Grill, owned by Palermo and his partner Danny Ringwood, has become a fixture in the community, sponsoring everything from youth athletic teams and the annual Fourth of July Parade in Westchester to the annual Santa Claus tour of the neighborhood and local schools. In fact, Tony P’s Dockside Grill fundraisers have raised more than $225,000 for area schools and organizations.

Palermo was honored by the Westchester/LAX–Marina del Rey Chamber as the 2000 Outstanding Merchant, the 2001 Outstanding Member, and received a Friend of Education Award at the annual Teacher Eddy Awards in 2001 for his contributions to education. In 2002, Los Angeles City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo recognized Palermo as the Chamber’s Community Service Award winner. Palermo was also named the Boys and Girls Club of Venice’s 2003 Ambassador for National Kids Day, the Boys and Girls Club of Venice’s 2006 Community Leader of the Year and has served as the Honorary Mayor of Westchester and Marina del Rey during the 2003-2004 year.

In addition, Tony P’s Dockside Grill recently earned its sixth consecutive California Gold Award from the Southern California Restaurant Writers Association. Palermo was also named the Association’s 2004 Humanitarian of the Year, and, with his partner, Danny Ringwood, was named the Association’s 2006-2007 Restauranteurs of the Year.

Palermo lives in Westchester with his wife, Lauren, and his two daughters, Francesca and Nicolette.