AAA Western and Central New York is proud to announce it received the 2024 Buffalo Niagara Business Ethics Award during the organization’s 18th annual awards presentation at Salvatore’s Italian Gardens in Depew on November 21, 2024.

The Business Ethics Award is presented to organizations which demonstrate the highest ethical standard for honesty, integrity, and compliance with respect to customers, employees, business partners, and the community. The 2024 award winners are Total Automotive in the Small Business Category (5-25 employees), Glen Park Tavern in the Mid-Sized Business Category (26-100 employees), and AAA Western and Central New York in the Large Business Category (over 100 employees).

“I’d like to thank the Buffalo Business Ethics judging committee who had a very difficult job with so many outstanding nominations,” said AAA Western and Central New York President and CEO Marke Dickinson. “AAA is thrilled to accept this prestigious award. Ethical conduct is so deeply engrained in our mission and culture at AAA that it defines how every Associate behaves – from our executive team to the front lines.”

A panel of independent judges evaluated award applications before selecting three finalists for each category size. Specifically, judges sought a clear demonstration of the company’s executive commitment to ethics in communication and action from the CEO and senior officers to employees and customers. The award reflects the ethical leadership provided by AAA Executive Advisor and former President and CEO Tony Spada, who is retiring at the end of the year after 43 years with the organization.

“I’m so proud of our dedicated associates who are the ones responsible for this award,” Spada said. “They continually do the right thing on the job each day as they put our members first and truly make AAA the most caring organization that anyone can join.”

Judges also considered the company’s corporate code of ethics, its culture and work environment, process for conflict resolution, quality of products and services, and commitment to the community. AAA joins an impressive list of previous award winners.

“We are especially proud of the nominees who chose to submit applications over the past 18 years,” said Fred Holender, President of the Business Ethics Association. “They feel strongly about business ethics and continue to display their cultures. We continue to be amazed at the wide variety of businesses that choose to tell their story. Western New York has a wealth of talented businesses.”

AAA members enjoy services including emergency roadside assistance, travel, insurance, Medicare, financial, driver training, automotive related services, and member discounts and savings. Providing exceptional service is central to the AAA mission. Empowering associates to grow and advance within the organization is also a key focus. In addition, AAA is a strong advocate for traffic safety while supporting numerous community events and initiatives.