At New Again Detailing in Kenova, shop owner Rusty Sartin said he has strived to maintain the latest certifications, provide top notch customer service and spread the word of faith.
“I’ve always had a passion for cars,” Sartin said. “I love making them look better than what they were, the joy it can bring to people, but also to shine my light a little bit more. To be able to spread the word of the goodness of God a little bit and hopefully reach some people. I figure that how I can make cars look new again, Jesus can make people new again.”
Sartin believes those attributes helped in his application being accepted to join a select detailing team at the Museum of Flight in Seattle, Washington.
The Kermit, West Virginia native will join 34 other hand-picked detailers from around the country. The key task, preserve and restore the original Air Force One jet plane that flew from 1959 to 1996. He said the application process was rigorous.
“You have to have been a detailer for so long,” Sartin said. “You’ve had to do many things throughout the detailing industry and be up to date on new and upcoming things. You have to have skills validated. There are certifications as well additional training and being part of groups and your presence in the detailing world and in your local community, as well as being a good person, a good business owner, and doing things the right way.”
Sartin said the honor to participate in the week-long July project shows that dedicated work pays off.
“It’s not even something that you think that you would be able to achieve,” Sartin said. “Especially being from a smaller area in West Virginia, to be selected out of such a small team to go and do something so important and such a big project.”
Sartin said the project will include restoring five more historic planes at the Museum of Flight. He’s anxious to work alongside and learn from other detailing professionals.
“The relationships you’ll build, the people that you’ll meet, the resources that you’ll gain, so much learning collaboration will go on at this event,” he said. “I’ll be able to see and learn from detailers all across the U.S., as well as show them things that I do in my shop.”