Troy
When Marcy Galka asked her husband, Jerry, if he had a good life, his answer was, “No.”
Shocked, Marcy looked at him.
When he continued, he said, “I’ve had a great life because of you.”
The Galkas are the general agents at AAA The Auto Club Group in Troy. Jerry Galka has owned the business since 1990. Marcy joined him in the office in 1991.
MARCY AND JERRY GALKA
Before joining AAA in 1985, Jerry was a manager in the fast food industry. He was debating a career change, and after calculating the benefits and earning potential, AAA looked good. His grandmother also worked for AAA from the 1950s until 1975 in the emergency road services department. Her love of her job sealed the deal, placing the Galkas on the insurance and membership path.
Married for 35 years and business partners for 28, Marcy and Jerry still love to come to work every day.
“I love meeting with customers, talking with them, finding out about their lives, their culture, how we can help them,” said Marcy. “When you think about it, insurance is pretty important to have. If you don’t have the right coverage, that can be devastating to your family.”
And while they’re opposites in the personality department, they have a common goal: Provide excellent, 24/7 customer service.
Steve Gottlieb, 64, has been with the Galkas for nearly 40 years. Gottlieb was with another insurance company decades ago when he got a ticket. His agent told his rates would have to go up.
“It was doubling. I said, ‘Oh my gosh that’s crazy. I can’t afford that.’ AAA was the first number in the phone book,” said Gottlieb.
Gottlieb is a recently retired teacher from Troy schools. He now owns a real estate office franchise.
“They do the job. I own commercial buildings and once they write the commercial insurance, they’re content. Marcy will call me and say, ‘We think you should try this.’ They reduced my costs dramatically on everything,” said Gottlieb.
Additionally, the pair gives their cell numbers to members, so they can be reached at all hours.
“They’ll hunt you down,” said Jerry. “We get calls in the middle of the night.”
Overall, Marcy and Jerry love what they do and enjoy the people they work with.
“It’s a good company, good brand, well-recognized, and they stand behind their product,” said Marcy. “We’ve always felt good about getting people their policies.”
