From Our CEO
You’ve been reading his CEO Messages for years in SJ FIRST. You’ve read about his trips to the Irish countryside, cruises on the scenic Danube River, the latest on traffic safety, and much more. Now it’s time to meet the man behind the message, AAA South Jersey CEO David Antrilli.
1. How long have you been at AAA?
“I have been with AAA for 32 years. When I started here, I was going to school and I took this as a seasonal position, just to get through from one semester to the next and I just loved it! I enjoyed the culture, the environment, the opportunity to help people so then I chose to stay on and the rest is history. I’ve worked in almost every department and then after that, oversaw almost every one as well. It’s been quite a journey and one where I would not change a thing. This is my ninth year as CEO.”
“You try and make a culture where people know that we appreciate them. That’s important. A successful job, a successful organization has happy customers, repeat customers, customers who enjoy interacting. My philosophy is you have to have happy employees to have happy customers. We are a customer-based organization so the better our employee morale is, the better they’re going to treat customers, the more engaged that they’re going to be.”
2. I heard a rumor that you have more than 1,000 CDs. Is that true? Do you have a favorite?
“No, it’s true. I had about 500 and my wife has about 500 so combined, yes, it’s roughly a 1,000 CD collection (and that’s not counting our vinyl collection!). I have an eclectic taste in music so I can go as far back as in the ‘60’s & ‘70s. Some of my favorite bands would be the Eagles, the Rolling Stones, the Beatles, Gordon Lightfoot, David Bowie and Deftones. In the ‘90s, I was also a big grunge fan. I liked Stone Temple Pilots. There’s a bunch of new stuff I like as well. I’m all over the place.”
3. Did you grow up in South Jersey?
“I grew up in Philadelphia and moved to South Jersey when I was 20 and I’ve been here ever since. It’s a great place to raise children, and I just think in general, the communities in South Jersey are closely-knit, so I like that.
“I went to Eastern – it’s Eastern University now but Eastern College when I was there. I went to Saint Joseph’s University for my masters, for my graduate studies. "
4. Professionally or personally, what is a goal of yours in 2024?
“Professionally – continually develop our corporate culture, focusing on providing best-in-class services that solidifies the AAA membership as invaluable. And to lead by example. Focus on growth both professionally and personally and strive to be the best leader, husband, father, friend as I can be. Accept nothing less.”
5. How did the AAA South Jersey Gives Back program come about?
“The Gives Back program is something that is close to my heart. To me, we are part of the community so it’s important that we give back. We live here, we work here, we’re entrenched in this community, and we have to be stewards of giving back. I also think it’s a way to engage our employees. I noticed that if they have the opportunity to participate in the AAA Gives Back program, there’s a feel good element. We’ve helped with the Animal Welfare Association. I’ve been to the Food Bank of South Jersey several times and every time, I see how people come out of there that have done it. It’s rewarding. They feel good, I feel good that we’ve done something, when you’ve made a positive difference.”
6. What accomplishment are you most proud of during your time at AAA South Jersey?
“It’s not always about an organization’s financial success, so when I look at it, our road service scores, and knowing that we score very high in the federation, is important to me because it means we’re doing the right thing for our members and our community. To know that we have employees that are engaged when we do engagement surveys and we get that feedback – to know that our employees feel we’re doing the right thing. That is rewarding.”
7. Any hobbies outside of work?
“My whole life I’ve been into fitness so I’ve been into weightlifting and really taking care of myself from a health perspective. That’s just been a lifelong passion of mine, something I’ve tried to pass on to my children as well. I believe the mind follows the body and vise versa so they kind of work in unison, together.” I also love attending musical concerts, Philadelphia sporting events and I am a huge animal lover that has had everything from dogs to cats to bearded dragons!
