AAA Western NY & CNY names VP of corporate & business development

AAA Western and Central New York announced it has hired a new VP of corporate and business development. 

Chris Johnston joined in January and will be responsible for developing strategy to develop, grow, and diversify products and service offerings for AAA Western and Central New York, the organization said in a release.

He brings significant experience in business development, innovation-fund management, mergers and acquisitions (M&A), and international business in highly competitive business markets, AAA said.

 Johnston most recently worked at the Graham Corporation (NYSE: GHM), where he spearheaded acquisitions by leading all aspects of the M&A process and managing the divestiture process of Graham’s commercial nuclear-utility business. He also worked on several business-development initiatives to grow the company organically.

“My expertise lies in identifying new business opportunities, and cultivating and maintaining relationships with business partners,” Johnston said. “I’m excited to put my skills to work at AAA and to identify new and grow existing business opportunities for the Club.”

Johnston graduated from Le Moyne College with a bachelor’s in industrial relations. He also earned a master’s degree in international economics from Fordham University. 

AAA Western and Central New York says it is upstate New York’s largest member-services organization, providing more than 862,000 members with travel, insurance, financial, and automotive-related services.