When he retired from the military in 2013 and settled in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Gary Peterson began to explore several career options.
In 2012 he read an article about a local charity needing support to fix one of its aging vans. He took on the challenge and fixed that van, and sold another vehicle for $4,000. That led him to realize that he could help raise more money for local charities.
He launched One Community Auto to help local nonprofits raise money for their causes.
"After serving 23 years in the United States Air Force, I had the work ethic and dedication to run a small business, but I didn't have the business background," Peterson recalls. "I quickly realized that there were tons of resources to help me get up to speed." He started attending SCORE workshops to do just that.
SCORE is a nonprofit association dedicated to helping small businesses get off the ground, grow and achieve their goals through education and mentorship. We have been doing this for more than 50 years.
Because our work is supported by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), and thanks to our network of 10,000+ volunteers, we are able to deliver our services at no charge or at a very low cost.
Find out more about our Mission, Vision and Values
here.
