August 2018

A new CEO to lead the way at AAA Club Alliance

June brought a new leader to the helm of AAA Club Alliance. On June 1, Tom Wiedemann officially assumed the role of ACA CEO.

Tom began his career with AAA in 1989 and has served in many capacities throughout those 29 years, including President of AAA Southern West Virginia in 1998 and President and COO of AAA Allied Group in 2012.

Recently, Tom weighed in on his leadership style. "We have 5,000 people with ideas, thoughts, and ways to make our company better. It is critical for us to be able to capture that and synergize it. I want our company to have transparency, engagement, and a team-first atmosphere. You will see that while I will have to make decisions regarding our organization's strategy, I believe that 5,000 heads are better than one. So from a style perspective, I think inclusion is what is going to make us great in the long run."

Tom wants to make sure all have the tools needed to support our Members and ensure our business thrives. Welcome Tom!

Shared Values Day

On May 2, we celebrated our first annual Shared Values Day, which focuses on Teamwork, Respect, Integrity, and Quality.

Associates across the footprint wore new blue shirts, ate cupcakes, decorated their workspaces with balloons, and reminded each other of the importance of our Shared Values, which have been a part of our culture for the past 25 years.

Going forward, the first Wednesday of May will be recognized as Shared Values Day; a day where Associates are thanked for exhibiting Shared Values every day.

Travel Scout launched at ACA

Travel Scout is a travel app designed to inspire people to get back out on the road. Travel Scout is less about the final destination, and more about the journey. Instead of entering a start and end point, Travel Scout asks for a starting point, amount of time for the trip, budget, and interests. Based on these variables, the app provides numerous road trips (and routing) which can be further customized to the member’s specific tastes.

Travel Scout is not for the cross country road trip – it’s for people who want to get away for the weekend and find the hidden gems around them. We will be testing Travel Scout in the Philadelphia market with plans to test in Washington, D.C. and eventually expand across the ACA footprint.

Where can I download Travel Scout?
At this time, Travel Scout is available only available on the iTunes store and can be found here.

Do you have to be a Member to use Travel Scout?
No. Members and non-members are welcome to use the app.

ACA Associate Recognized for Years of Service to Philadelphia Zoo

Rhonda recently accepted an award for 20 years of service to the Philadelphia Zoo as a Docent (a word derived from the Latin docere, which means "teacher"). She also accepted an award for Outstanding Service to the Docent Council. She started volunteering at the Philadelphia Zoo in 1997 upon joining the Camera Club. It was then when she learned of the Docent Council program. Rhonda joined the docent class and graduated in 1998. The docent training program covers a wide variety of topics including:

• Philadelphia Zoo history
• Animal kingdom information
• Zoo animal specifics
• Sculpture and horticulture in the Zoo
• Important conservation issues

During Rhonda's 20 years as a Docent, she has served as a mentor for nine new docent classes and joined the other teachers to run a class (prep work, graded quizzes, planned schedules.) She has also served on numerous committees including hospitality, ethics, night flight tours, and getaway committees leading docents to other zoos.

What a terrific accomplishment Rhonda! You're AAA Family couldn't be prouder!