Modesto's Robert J. Cardoza Elected Chair of AAA National Board

    PALM DESERT, Calif.--May 1, 2001--Modesto resident Robert J. Cardoza, who got his first AAA card when he was 14, has been elected Chair of the national Board of Directors of AAA, the 44-million member auto club that works to insure the safety and security of all travelers.
    More than 1,000 delegates and officials representing the federation's 82 affiliated clubs in the United States and Canada elected Cardoza at AAA's 98th annual meeting on Tuesday, May 1.
    Cardoza's vision for AAA includes providing members with instant wireless communication to AAA's emergency service, a national "traveler's bill of rights" to improve airline service, with safety as its number one priority, and globalization of AAA's wide array of travel, insurance, financial and automotive services.
    "Half of all Americans who travel overseas are AAA members," Cardoza said. "We want to give them the same peace of mind, security and service when they go abroad that they get here in the United States."
    A successful businessman and community leader, Cardoza served as vice chair of the AAA board the past two years and has been a director of the California State Automobile Association since 1979.
    The son and grandson of Portugese dairy farmers, Cardoza became an auto club member at 14, when California law allowed people under 16 to drive farm vehicles. He worked helping his father, a hired hand who milked dairy cows on farms in Kings and Stanislaus counties.
    "My mother was a big believer in AAA," he said. "It was important to her that if I was driving the farm trucks or the family car, it was good to have a card for emergencies."
    After graduating from Modesto Junior College and Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, Cardoza went to work for the Farm Credit System. At the age of 27, he became President of Modesto Production Credit Association, overseeing six branches and making agriculture loans in Stanislaus and Tuolumne counties.
    At the age of 39, Cardoza and a group of local businessmen started Pacific Valley National Bank and over the next 13 years grew the bank to $185 million in assets. In 1995, the bank was sold to WestAmerica Bank, a larger regional bank from San Rafael, California.
    "It was the American dream to start a company from scratch with friends and staff and build it up to where someone thought it was valuable enough to sell at a premium."
    Cardoza's dedication to the people of the Central Valley includes volunteer leadership as president of the Yosemite Community College District, Modesto Chamber of Commerce and Modesto Rotary, Retarded Citizens of Stanislaus County, the Stanislaus Credit Bureau, YMCA, American Red Cross and many others.
    Currently he heads the Cardoza Company, a consulting and investment firm. With his family, he also runs the Cardoza Foundation, which donates to dozens charities in the Stanislaus County area.
    "AAA is lucky to have him," said Marie Gallo, who co-chairs a campaign with Cardoza to raise $45 million for a much-needed performing arts center in Modesto. "He is one of the finest men I have ever known, very diplomatic and very wise, with a great sense of humor."
    "I'm very pleased to see Bob gain this richly-deserved national exposure," said California Department of Food and Agriculture Secretary Bill Lyons of Modesto. "Bob's leadership skills and his dedication to hard work and success will mean good things for AAA and the millions of drivers served by the organization."
    Cardoza is looking forward to chairing AAA.
    "It's an organization that really serves a purpose. It is member-owned, member-controlled and members are its number one priority.
    "Most people know us by our yellow tow trucks, but we're so much more than that," Cardoza said. "AAA is the biggest leisure travel agency in the country. The AAA logo is pure, like the Good Housekeeping seal of approval. If you see a repair shop with the AAA seal, or if you see a hotel or motel with our diamond ratings, you know you can count on them."
    Established 100 years ago, AAA offers a wide array of automotive, travel, insurance and financial services. The California State Automobile Association serves 4 million members and is the second largest regional affiliate of the national AAA organization.

    Note to Editors: JPEG photo of Robert J. Cardoza available on request.