Multi-Unit Franchisee Magazine Issue III, 2014 | Page 16

2014 MVP AWARDS
BY DEBBIE SELINSKY

Giving Back, Big-Time
Former police officer still assists those in need

S

am Anabi’s time as a police officer in La
Verne, Calif., laid the foundation for his
business focus of helping those in need. He
bought his first gas station in 1991, while still
in training at the L.A. Sheriff’s Academy. Injured in
the line of duty, in 2001 Anabi left the force to focus
on his gasoline retailing business. Today he operates
more than 200 Shell stations in California, along
with 10 Del Tacos and 13 Subways.
Anabi says his experience as a police officer has
greatly influenced how he operates his business. “Being a police officer for so many years allowed me
to become very keen and intuitive toward different
circumstances of people,” he says. “I believe that
it is our responsibility to reach out and help those
around us in need.”
His enterprise now serves as a financial empowerment resource for those in need in Southern California and beyond. To date, he has donated more than
$120,000 and has helped raise funds for families
left with no income after a crime-related death of a
family member. And for the past 7 years, the Anabi
Oil Golf Classic has raised hundreds of thousands of
dollars for charities that include St. Jude Children’s
Research Hospital, the Ryan Seacrest Foundation,
NAME: Sam Anabi
TITLE: President/CEO, Anabi Oil, Upland,

Calif.
NO. OF UNITS: 10 Del Tacos, 13 Subways,

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