Panamanian Entrepreneur and Politician Gabriel Diez Polack Passes Away

Entrepreneur Gabriel Diez Polack has passed away. In 1971, the company Diez y Diez was founded, marking the beginning of a career that led him to manage and execute infrastructure projects in Panama and abroad. However, he always maintained a discreet attitude, preferring quiet work over public display. That experience was his gateway to the industry that would define much of his life. He approached it with the same conviction that characterized him in his private life: to work without fanfare, with firmness and a sense of purpose. That experience—which ended with almost nothing after paying for ice cream that cost $4.75—was an early lesson about effort, management, and sacrifice. Born on July 30, 1947, Diez was a minister and a key figure in the construction sector. Thanks to an uncle, he discovered the world of construction in Bocas del Toro. "We lament the passing of our former president Gabriel Diez Polack, a pillar of Capac and a visionary leader whose dedication strengthened our guild and the construction sector," the statement read. Those who knew him highlight that his life was a combination of a firm character, an upbringing marked by constant changes, and an early decision to make his own way through work. He was deeply impacted by seeing blueprints turn into physical structures. He was also president and a prominent member of the Panamanian Chamber of Construction, the Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture, the National Council of Housing Promoters, the Panamanian Association of Brokers and Promoters, and other leadership spaces. Capac remembered his legacy in the guild. In over five decades of his career, he was the mind behind some of the most important projects in the country and the region. From then on, he understood that nothing comes by subsidy or luck; it must be earned. We extend our condolences to his family, and in particular to his son Gabriel Diez M., first VP," it is emphasized. He was just a teenager when he received his first five dollars. His first job was in a small laboratory where perfumes were processed. Various personalities and guilds have lamented the disappearance of Diez. In 2008, he accepted the challenge to serve as Minister of Housing during the administration of former president Martín Torrijos.