A big small business idea that’s about to change the way entrepreneurs think about CAA started with a conversation about pennies.
Last year, Jeff Walker – President and CEO of CAA North & East Ontario – was chatting with board member Sean Davies, a Thunder Bay-based business entrepreneur.
At the time, the casual conversation was about what small businesses could do to grow despite economic uncertainty. Davies remarked that even saving a few pennies on the dollar in his transportation industry companies would add up over time.
The remark struck a nerve with Walker – as did a series of additional insights about the roadblocks small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs) face every day, like staff retention, the cost of maintaining fleet vehicles or getting roadside assistance, and the hefty entry fee for group benefits and insurance.
“We did some research and began to see there were some major gaps in the things small businesses need to succeed and compete,” says Walker. “From where we were sitting, it looked like an opportunity to start a new line of business.”
The result is CAA Business, the first-ever commercial membership developed entirely to support businesses with CAA’s trusted insurance, roadside, and membership offerings.
With CAA Business, SME owners can do more than save a few pennies. They can save on roadside assistance, CAA’s on-site Pit Crew for tire swaps and oil changes, get access to savings on commercial insurance and group benefits, plus discounts on CAA memberships for staff.
“There are major gaps in terms of really good value, quality of customer service and convenience for these business owners,” explains Walker. “The CAA Business membership will work as hard as they do. Our goal is to show them how much value they can get from working with us.”
According to Walker, joining CAA Business for just $99 gives companies access to an à la carte menu that allows them to then purchase benefits like commercial roadside assistance, commercial Pit Crew, group benefits, employee memberships, and business insurance at a member discounted rate.
Group benefits boost staff retention
Walker, a 2025 Excellence Awardee for Canadian HR Champion – CEO from Human Resources Director Magazine, says that investing in your employees is one of the best ways to protect your business by reducing employee turnover. For instance, group benefits show employees they are valued by giving them a real economic benefit.
“We can offer a version of large-company benefits to small and medium-sized companies,” says Walker. “We don’t want all the best employees gravitating to the big guys; we want great employees to get all the virtues and benefits of being in the small and medium-sized sector, with benefits that are comparable.”
Through Sterling Brokers, which caters specifically to small and medium-sized companies, CAA Business members can get a discount on their Employee Benefits program. With its focus on SMEs, Walker says Sterling is very unique.
“What we observe is that everybody’s clamoring for the big fish, because there’s enough margin in it to make it worth their time,” says Walker, adding that CAA and Sterling take a different approach. “We focus on business with 5 to 100 employees; it’s worth it for us to be able to give those folks value they couldn’t otherwise get.”
With the added option of purchasing CAA Memberships at a generous discount for staff, CAA Business members can unlock even more perks for employees, including discounts at hotels, museums, sporting events, airport parking and participating Shell fuel stations.
“We have a whole array of benefits for consumers and we’re going to do the same exact thing for businesses,” says Walker. “Our friends at the Ottawa Senators have offered our Business Members the opportunity to get 10 per cent off if they rent a suite at a Sens game this coming season. You’ll save hundreds of dollars right there, more than what it even costs to sign up for the CAA Business membership.”
Trusted commercial roadside and vehicle maintenance
Keeping a fleet on the road and reducing downtime for things like tire swaps and oil changes is a cost of doing business, but with CAA Business, members get access to CAA’s 24/7 emergency roadside support for commercial and company vehicles.
“Let’s say your truck has broken down in Barrhaven and your home base is Orleans,” he says. “Calling one of these towing enterprises will probably cost you upwards of $700 to bring that truck in. If you’re working with CAA, the value proposition will be a heck of a lot less than that, plus you’ll have cost certainty around what it would cost you per year for those vehicles.”
In addition, CAA’s commercial Pit Crew offers on-site mobile services, such as tire and oil changes and cab cleanouts, which drastically reduces the amount of time fleet vehicles are out of commission and off-site.
But for Walker, the tacit benefit of a CAA Business membership is the quality service guarantee that comes with CAA as one of Canada’s most trusted brands.
“We know that our customer satisfaction is industry-leading,” he says, pointing to CAA North & East Ontario’s phenomenal growth, which has led all CAA and AAA clubs for the past few years. “The combination of that value proposition and the really high level of customer service is why so many people trust us.”
