One-on-One
Gary Peterson, owner of One Community Auto, is living his dream. “As a boy, I dreamed of owning a junkyard,” he says with a laugh.
And though he may not actually own a junkyard, he does bring in vehicles that might have ended up in one.
One Community Auto takes in donated vehicles, refurbishes them, sells them and then donates 60 percent of the proceeds to charity. The process provides much more for charity than a simple auction would, Peterson says.
Peterson served in the Air Force for 23 years, including three tours in Iraq, before retiring as a major in 2013. Today, he lives with his husband and two cats and his days are full of working on cars and giving to charity.
Can you tell me a little about the Air Force?
I did a lot of deployments when I was enlisted. We were in a mobile unit, so we traveled all over the world. But when I became an officer, I really started deploying. … After 9/11, I did three tours in Iraq and I did a tour supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. Then I spent a year in South Korea. And then I spent a good amount of time here at Kirtland (Air Force Base.)
What was it like to live in South Korea?
It was probably the most rewarding time in my career, actually. During that period, the North Koreans had sunk a South Korean ship off the coast, so it was a (time of) heightened awareness. But it was the closest I had really come to performing my mission and my set of job skills that I had ever done in the Air Force.
But the South Koreans were such gracious hosts. I really enjoyed the food. And I came from New Mexico, so I like the chile, but after Korea, you know they use a lot of the really hot red chile over there. And so I came back, and I have to really increase the red and green chile. I have to get it hot enough.
Are you willing to share a little about your experience in Iraq?
Sure. I went to Iraq three times — 2003 was my first tour, so it was sort of the initial stages of that conflict. So it was kind of like the wild, wild West in a sense. I was there when they captured Saddam. It was my first tour, and I was a lieutenant, so I was still learning things.
Then (when) I went back for my next tour (in 2005), it was kind of more stabilized. We actually went over there, we were going to start closing bases down. But then they did the surge. And so we actually started building up forces instead of drawing them down. At that time, I was running probably the largest junkyard in Iraq. We were doing all of the redistribution. We would
take all of the battle-damaged vehicles and equipment, and as forces were moving out, we would take their equipment and hold it for the next unit.
Then my last tour, I was serving in Tikrit, and so that was unique as well. We did a lot of airlift in and out. That was 2007.
What was growing up in Roswell like?
Growing up was great. I basically grew up around my grandparents and my uncles. My grandfather was a World War II veteran, and so I was kind of with him most of my time. So I have a lot of influence (from him). He taught me hard work and community and family and discipline. So that kind of carried me through life.
Where did you and your husband meet?
We met actually when I was stationed in New Jersey back in 1999. We got married last year. Unfortunately, I served in the service when it was under “Don’t ask, don’t tell,” so I kind of had to keep that all a secret. You know, I would have been married in 1999, if I could’ve.
How did Randy feel about you being in Iraq?
It was actually a very trying time. The military families really take the brunt of the deployment, I feel. It was a stressful time for everybody.
Did other guys stationed with you know you had a boyfriend?
No. It was too risky.
Is Randy involved in the business?
Yeah, we actually call him our backbone. He’s our mechanic. Then my brother Mike does all the detailing. My sister does the front office. Then my niece works here part time as a mechanic. Then Mom helps and my other sister helps. It’s a small group, but we are getting it done. It’s a family-centered business, and that is so important to us.
How did One Community Auto begin?
I spent 23 years in the Air Force. So after I retired, I was kind of in a transition. I didn’t have an exact mission in life, you know. And so my focus was to get back into the community. I had been working around cars my whole life. In the Air Force, I was in logistics and transportation, so I was always around that.
I had an experience with New Mexico Veterans Integration Center, and they needed someone to help them fix a van. The van was shot. But they had this old Camaro sitting in the back. So I took (the Camaro) home, got it running, got it sold, and a couple weeks later I took them a check for $4,000. So I felt really good about being able to help them and the community.
So we came up with that business idea. Basically, to help charities. (They) bring in their donated vehicles, (we) refurbish them and sell them here at the lot. We started with one charity in 2013 and right now we have 21.
How big is your lot?
About 45 cars, but we probably have about 10 cars for charity. So depending on the flow of donated vehicles, we also operate as a traditional used car dealership. We sell our own vehicles.
I do some government work, as well. We found an outlet for some of these junk vehicles. We can buy those vehicles and provide them to some of the government contracts that I work, such as White Sands Missile Range. They use them for target practice.