AAA a Good Fit for Husband-Wife Team

27

MARCH 2019

BY REBECCA CALAPPI

LBN Community Series
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

AGENTS, FRENTZ & SONS HARDWARE

They started as field agents in offices filled with people, sharing computers and no windows. Jerry became a general agent after building up clients and chose Troy as the location.

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 the people. I can’t imagine not seeing them all the time,” said Marcy. “I’ve had clients for 30 years. I’ve watched their kids grow up and now their grandkids are coming in and getting insurance from me. It’s like family. I enjoy coming to work every day. If I won the lotto today, I’d be here the next day.”

While they are in the business of selling memberships and insurance, they say they truly are in it for their clients.

“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.”

“I love the people. I can’t imagine not seeing them all the time…I’ve had clients for 30 years. I’ve watched their kids grow up and now their grandkids are coming in and getting insurance from me.”

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Working together, Jerry and Marcy have complementary personalities; he’s more business, she’s warmer. It works for them.

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.

“They were just an insurance agent. What happens is, they take the time to get to know you. In the process, we got to know each other. She was the one who said I should apply to be on the Clawson Chamber of Commerce. It was good fortune that we got to meet each other.”

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.

Marcy tells of a time she spend the night at the office during a big snowstorm, so she could be sure someone was in to answer calls in the morning.

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.”