Spirit of Solano Rio Vista Winner-Dan Simpson

The Rio Vista Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce the recipient of its 2023 Spirit of Solano Award is Daniel (Dan) Simpson, CEO of LDES Services Inc.

This award is well deserved. Dan has been operating his global business from Rio Vista for 29 years.  He is unselfishly public-spirited, and at 80 years of age, still exhibits the enthusiasm of a teenager. He helped restore Rio Vista’s economy after the pandemic by coming up with the idea of free concerts downtown to encourage residents and visitors to shop and dine at our Main Street businesses.  

Beginning in the spring of 2022 and through summer 2023, Dan, a musician himself, hired musical acts at his own expense and provided the professional outdoor lighted stage and the event crew to host Free Friday Night Old-Time Rock or Country and Western Concerts. Concert goers brought their own lawn chairs and enjoyed the music on stage while shopping and dining in town. The event was so popular, several merchants who had closed their doors or laid off employees were able to successfully operate their businesses again. Today, several new companies have chosen to open in Rio Vista. Three nearby Delta towns have copied Dan’s idea and are offering concerts of their own. This is helping the Delta recover from the pandemic and strengthening local economies.

However, this is not the only reason Dan Simpson was chosen as the recipient of the 2023 Spirit of Solano Award. Dan is generous with his time and always willing to help his community. The service clubs in town know they can come to him for help, and he rarely turns them away. His accomplishments over the years show his willingness to take on new challenges.  He is, or has been a…

…serial entrepreneur with over 20 companies to his credit

…Indy Car Owner and Race Driver 

…a sprint car and outlaw kart racer

…racetrack owner and operator

…a certified scuba diver and dive equipment vendor

…defensive firearms instructor

…purebred Percheron horse breeder

…livestock rancher

…inventor and patent holder of a unique water treatment process (DryVac)

…a member of the Lion’s Club for over 20 years

…and most incredible of all, a triple cancer survivor. 

Dan has been in remission for over 15 years despite his doctors telling him the best he could expect was five years of survival. Thanks to his iron will and determination, he overcame his cancer without surgery, radiation treatment, or chemotherapy.  He discovered holistic means of fighting his cancer through diet and lifestyle changes.  Today, he still practices these healthy habits. 

Asked in an interview what advice he would give to a graduating college senior, he responded, “Never say done. Take it to the next step. Never stop.”   This is Solano Spirit.