Happy 70th, Paul: 50 Years of "Service Is the Name of the Game"

My dad turns 70 this month. He has spent 50 of those years behind a desk at Nadler Insurance, telling clients the same thing he told me growing up: service is the name of the game. So I sat him down and asked him to look back on five decades of advising Bay Area families and businesses.

50 years, one philosophy

Paul got his California insurance license in 1976. He is the third generation to run Nadler Insurance — an agency my family started back in 1927 — and he learned the business from his father and his grandfather Phillip before that.

In half a century, the technology changed completely. The philosophy never did.

The customer is always right. Listen to what they want and what they need. Then fill those needs. It's not selling — it's educating.

A few questions for Paul

What's changed most in 50 years?

Everything on the surface — the paper, the fax machines, the software, now the AI. But the actual job is identical to 1976: sit with a person, understand their life, and make sure they're protected when something goes wrong.

What hasn't changed?

People still want to be heard. They don't want to be sold a price. They want someone who picks up the phone when their house floods or their truck gets stolen.

A moment you'll never forget?

October 17, 1989. I was at Candlestick Park for the World Series when the earthquake hit — and Zach was three years old, right there with me. The next morning the phones didn't stop for weeks. That's when you find out what an agency is really for.

Best part of the job?

Watching kids grow up. I've insured clients, then their children, then their children. You don't get that by being the cheapest. You get it by showing up.

Advice for the fourth generation? (He looked right at me for this one.)

Don't let the tools replace the relationship. Use them — but never stop listening.

What I'd add

I grew up in this office. I heard these stories at the dinner table before I ever heard them at the desk. Watching my dad work taught me that this business isn't about policies — it's about people who trust you with the thing they can't afford to lose.

Happy 70th, Dad. Here's to the next chapter — and thank you for 50 years of proving that service really is the name of the game.

Key takeaways

Happy birthday to Paul Nadler, third-generation owner of Nadler Insurance in San Carlos, CA — licensed since 1976. This spotlight was written by his son Zach, the fourth generation. Say hello →