STAR Rtn. Alvin R. Ampil: Destined to Follow His Father’s Footsteps

After exploring other opportunities, he finally decided to join the business his father set up in 1975. Recently, he entered the Rotary Club of Manila where his father, the late Renato “Boy” Ampil, was Past President. While he dreamt of becoming a pilot when he was younger and then a lawyer when he grew up, he also toyed with the idea of becoming a priest! Get to know more about STAR Rtn. Alvin as he shares his fascinating journey until he reached where he is today.

STAR Rtn. Alvin R. Ampil now lives a life he fully enjoys, and he couldn’t be more proud and grateful. In this interview, he also shares his source of inspiration as well as his interests and hobbies.

Rhea Vitto Tabora (RVT): What was the path you took to get to where you are today?

Alvin R. Ampil (ARA): My first job was as Account Executive in Eagle Express Lines, a freight forwarder. That was my first experience in the import/export industry. After about two years, I left the company for greener pastures (literally) in the pesticide and agricultural chemicals industry. I was in Planters Products where I stayed for the next eleven years. It was around this time that I was again subjected to the pull of the cargo and transport industry. The entrepreneurial bug bit hard, and I tried my hand in trucking/hauling. It was a very, shall we say, exciting time for me, but it made me exhausted most of the time. I closed it down after a while and explored other opportunities.

My father had been asking me for years to join him in his company, but I kept on refusing. A part of me kept wanting to be independent and have something I could call as really my own. When my latest food business in San Fernando, Pampanga wasn’t going anywhere, I reluctantly started to seriously consider joining the family business. It was as if someone up there kept steering me away from other avenues of income so I can join my brother and father.

In RAMP, I was third in line, after my father and brother who had been there long before me. It didn't matter because I found the job interesting, even if sometimes it’s maddeningly frustrating. I was surprised one day when my brother informed my dad that he would be leaving the family business to start his own. That was when I became second in command. After my dad passed away due to complications after an accident, I finally was voted in by the family Board of Directors to continue the customs brokerage business.

RVT: What types of services does RAMP Brokerage Corporation provide?

ARA: The company provides Import/Export Customs Brokerage Processing, Customs Consultation Services, International/Domestic Freight Forwarding, Trucking and other allied services.

RVT: What are you most proud of regarding the company?

ARA: I take pride in the fact that this is practically the same company started by my father in 1975. We still provide the same personalized, but speedy, service. We still give the homey kind of relationship between us and our clients; many of whom become very good friends. Before, I kept nagging my father to expand the business further, but he kept refusing. Now, I understand why.

RVT: Who or what inspires you?

ARA: Years ago, I realized that if my motivation is to help others, things run more smoothly. If my goal is to earn money, things don't turn out right. So, I make helping others in their businesses and helping others in their life issues as my motivation, and the income follows. Another reason (THE reason) why I do this is to give thanks to the Big Man upstairs. He has been so good to me all these years, and it's my way of showing my gratitude.

RVT: If you were not an entrepreneur, what career would you like to explore?

ARA: When I was young, I wanted to be a pilot, but my bad eyes prevented me from pursuing that. I also wanted to be a lawyer, and I actually started to take pre-law as an undergraduate. I shifted when I found out that I would have to read so much materials most of the time. And more importantly, understand them. For a short while, I even toyed with the idea of becoming a priest, but quickly shot it down. I had to come to terms that I couldn't be celibate for long.

RVT: What are your interests and hobbies? What do you do when you are not at work?

ARA: I am into watches, both expensive and cheap—Swiss, Japanese, Chinese, and others. In fact, I already bought tools and a tool kit for taking them apart. I also do freediving, where you dive by simply holding your breath. I enjoy cooking, which I took from my paternal grandmother. No week passes when I do not cook for my family. I love hiking and camping; and just before the lockdowns began, I also started taking up barebow archery.

I also do counseling in my spare time, having taken up Cognitive Behavioral Therapy courses. Several of my friends’ children have taken their lives, and I wanted to do something. I first enrolled in a chat group of students who were all depressed, both diagnosed and in fact, and I tried to see what I can do. It soon dawned on me that it was not as simple as offering fatherly or brotherly advice. Their issues were beyond rebelling and common things I experienced as a teenager before; and I found myself quietly retreating before I could do more harm than good. During one of my dives, I was invited to attend a coaching/counseling course to address depression. My eyes were opened, and I understood more about those who are constantly depressed, or angry, or hopeless. It also made me understand so much of myself, and how to address my own feelings and frustrations. Helping them is how I show gratitude for all the blessings I have received in life.

RVT: As a STAR Rotarian, how would you describe your experience with the Club so far?

ARA: Oh, definitely positive and very good! Had I known that Rotary was like this, I would've joined much sooner!

RVT: Please share something about yourself that your fellow Rotarians might not readily know.

ARA: I've been driving regularly since 1987. I've had a total of about 15 cars. Since that time, I've never owned any car in my life; at least on paper. They have all been under the name of my father, my mother, my sister, or the company I'm working for at the time. Maybe I'll have one named to myself before I die.

RVT: How does it feel to be a second-generation Rotarian – your father, Mr. Renato “Boy” Ampil, being an RCM Past President?

ARA: It’s an odd feeling, really. On one hand, I have the—for lack of a better term—pressure to live up to my father's many achievements in RCM. It's not easy as I'm a total opposite to him in many ways. On the other hand, many Rotarians—when they find out who I am—are suddenly warm and friendly. It's like attending a family reunion, where you feel at home even if it's your first time being there.