Wisfe Aish does not talk much about success. Ask him to define it and he redirects the conversation to his team. Press him on his proudest accomplishments and he gestures toward a skyscraper he does not yet own, not as a trophy, but as a marker of forward motion. Spend enough time with him, and a clearer picture comes into focus: a leader shaped by necessity, guided by faith and driven by a belief that business leadership carries a moral obligation.
“I had a family to support, and I needed to make sure they were fed and taken care of,” Aish said of his entry into the petroleum industry more than 35 years ago. “At the time, this industry was what was available to me, and I put everything I had into doing it well.”
That singular focus transformed two service stations in the early 1980s into Double AA Corporation, which Aish founded in 1999. Today, the San Francisco-based company operates a fuel distribution network and retail gas stations throughout California, partnering with industry leaders including Valero, ConocoPhillips and Marathon Petroleum. Double AA manages branded and unbranded wholesale operations, retail locations and its DOUBLETIME convenience store brand, operating year-round in an industry that leaves little margin for error.
The growth from modest beginnings to major operator status tells only part of Aish’s story. The rest unfolds quietly, in mosque donations made anonymously, refugee families given housing and work, cancer patients supported through crisis and acts of generosity Aish rarely mentions unless pressed.
“I support a lot of causes, schools, churches, mosques, sports programs, senior housing,” Aish said during a recent interview. “A lot of times I give anonymously. I don’t do it for recognition. I just like to help. Kids especially hit home for me. If I see a child in need, I’ll find a way to help.”
His son, Abed Aish, now chief operating officer at Double AA, has watched that philosophy shape both the man and the business. He knows it can be hard to operate a family business and that 82% of all family businesses fail by the third generation. For him, the difference comes down to perspective and a consistent focus on people rather than ego or control. His dad lives this out each day.
“One example is when my dad helped a refugee from Gaza find housing and work,” Abed Aish said. “He didn’t know him at all but made sure he had a place to live. He’s also supported families dealing with cancer and countless fundraisers. Helping is just part of who he is.”
Before petroleum, there was paving. Before that, grocery stores and fast-food kitchens. Aish took whatever work was available, moving from job to job as he tried to survive and keep moving forward.
“I worked in paving, grocery stores and restaurants like McDonald’s and KFC, whatever I could do,” he said. “I didn’t have much guidance, so I learned leadership through trial and error. Over time, that built my confidence.”
Not finishing high school followed him into adulthood. As his career gained momentum and responsibilities grew, he sometimes felt limited not by his understanding, but by his ability to express what he knew.
“When I was growing my company or in meetings, I sometimes felt I couldn’t express myself the way I wanted,” Aish said.
That experience shaped how he approached fatherhood. Education became nonnegotiable for his children, a decision rooted in lessons learned the hard way.
“That’s why I made it a priority for my kids to finish their education no matter what,” he said.
Yet his most formative education came earlier, at the Columbia Park Boys Club in San Francisco, now part of the Boys & Girls Club network. It was there, he said, that structure first entered his life.
“That place gave me structure and taught me about right and wrong,” Aish said.
The club rewarded effort and discipline, recognizing achievement with plaques for boy of the month or boy of the year. For Aish, those small acknowledgments mattered.
“I wasn’t a great basketball player, but I worked my way up from the C team to the A team through drive and practice,” he said.
The lessons extended beyond the game itself. Players were taught to shake hands after every match, win or lose, to stay composed in defeat and to treat others with respect.
“That experience taught me that if someone else can do it, I can too,” Aish said. “That mindset shaped my approach to business all my life.”
Wisfe Aish’s life experiences have carried over into how he built Double AA Corporation. When he found more efficient or cleaner ways to operate, he shared them with others in the industry, even competitors.
“Sometimes it backfired,” he said. “But it never stopped me from wanting to give without expecting recognition. Doing something that makes someone happy, for a moment or for a lifetime, that’s what matters.”
Abed Aish describes his father as loyal to a fault.
“My dad always says, ‘Just do the right thing,’” he said. “He honors all his agreements, even if it costs him. You can count on what he says. He’ll stick to it no matter what.”
That reputation proved essential as Double AA expanded. The petroleum industry does not forgive broken promises or missed deliveries. Reliability became Aish’s competitive advantage, his word his currency.
“He’s fearless and nimble, always able to adapt quickly to new technologies and concepts,” Abed Aish said. “That adaptability has been key in running and growing Double AA.”
Today, the company offers renewable products including renewable diesel, biodiesel and E-85, positioning itself at the intersection of traditional fuel services and environmental responsibility. The balance reflects Aish’s broader philosophy: honor what works while remaining open to what comes next.
Managing a fuel distribution network across California brings constant pressure, from equipment failures to regulatory shifts. Asked about work-life balance, Aish is direct.
“You don’t really manage stress,” he said. “You deal with it. You face the problem head-on and get it solved.”
He credits clarity of thought as essential to leadership, citing former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown as an influence.
“He breaks things down in black and white,” Aish said. “There’s no gray. If you don’t understand, he’ll explain it another way.”
When asked about his father’s long-term goals, Abed Aish recalls a moment that stayed with him.
“I remember asking him what his goal was, and he pointed at the Transamerica building and said, ‘I want one of those big ones,’” he said. “It’s more than a building. It’s a vision.”
Ask Aish to assess his career and he resists the premise.
“I don’t think I’ll ever reach a point where I say, ‘I’m successful,’” he said. “For me, success is measured by how well my team is doing.”
About 20 years ago, Aish wrote his son a letter encouraging confidence and trust in good people.
“He admitted he sometimes stepped in too quickly instead of trusting me to handle things on my own,” Abed Aish said. “That advice still shapes me.”
If Aish could advise his younger self, his answer is simple.
“I’d tell myself to finish school,” he said.
For Aish, faith and giving are inseparable from leadership.
“For me, every act of giving is meaningful,” he said. “It makes me feel closer to God.”
Abed Aish recalls a statement that captured his father’s faith.
“He once told me, ‘I didn’t know if I’d ever have the money, but when I put my hand in my pocket, God always made sure it was there,’” he said.
Double AA Corporation now employs dozens, serves customers statewide and operates around the clock. None of it happened by accident. But Aish does not separate business success from philanthropy. He sees them as flowing from the same source.
From service stations to a fuel distribution enterprise, from anonymous donations to lasting community impact, Wisfe Aish has built more than a company. He has built a legacy rooted in responsibility, trust and the belief that success without service is incomplete.
The skyscraper, he would say, is still ahead.
“Personally, I always feel there’s more to achieve,” he said with a smile.
