Dave DePaolo Was Such A Great Person
I met Dave DePaolo in 2003 through an associated Workers Comp company. We met in the WorkCompCentral offices in Camarillo.
For more on what happened to Dave and the memorial services , please see this WorkComp Central article. I was going to stay for the memorial service as I was already in California when I received the unfortunate news that Dave DePaolo was involved in a motorcycle accident. However, I had to come back to the east coast yesterday. Bummer.
I had been told by his marketing manager at the time to expect a surfer dude look as that was his usual dress. By the way, his marketing manager took me for a tour of Hollywood and some of the other areas of Los Angeles including eating lunch at Duke’s on the Beach.
Lo and behold, the first time I met Dave he was wearing a flowery shirt, shorts, and sandals. We went to a great Italian restaurant near Camarillo. We immediately saw that we could help each other and always kept in touch for the next 13 years.
Dave grew his company at a great pace. It was one of the more successful Workers Comp press companies in existence.
A few years ago at the NWCDC conference in Las Vegas, Dave made a trip over by way of the monorail, to see me at one of the many after-hours functions. That was so nice of him and made me feel kind of special.
I had always made sure that I found him at any conference as he always had good advice for me especially in California Workers Compensation. He was always glad to see me. His last piece of advice to me was in the my expert witness practice. He said, “Charge what your are worth and you are worth a lot if you have knowledge of Workers Comp in so many states.”
Some of his last blogs can be found at the bottom of the main page of the WorkCompCentral website. I would provide a direct link, but they are behind a paywall.
My thoughts and prayers go out to his friends and families. Goodbye old friend, Workers Comp – especially the conferences will not be the same without you.
©J&L Risk Management Inc Copyright Notice
