Michael Laverdure first moved to Knoxville in 2001. After graduating from the University of Tennessee, he decided to follow in his father’s slipstream, serving eight years of active duty in the Air Force as an aircraft maintenance officer.
ACTIVE DUTY TOURS
Laverdure’s tour of duty included two years (2014-15) at Incirlik Air Force Base in Adana, Turkey. With his wife and children, Laverdure was stationed 60 miles from the Syrian border, near the hornets’ nest of a civil war there that helped fuel the rise of the terrorist group ISIS.
From there, Laverdure transferred to Luke (Ariz.) Air Force Base. Conditions were more tranquil. It was here that he got a crash course in problem-solving while maintaining F-16 and F-35 aircraft for training purposes: “I had the oldest fighters in the fleet … with the lowest priority for parts and money and trying to figure out how to keep these planes flying on a very aggressive flying schedule,” he said.
Despite the dangers and struggles, Laverdure had no problems with motivation and loved the challenges both positions presented. They gave him the foundation for the business he runs today.
AAMCO PURCHASE (2018)
Two years ago, Michael bought an AAMCO transmission and total car care shop that’s tucked between Schaad Road and Clinton Highway.
Laverdure continues his military service as a reservist in the 916th Maintenance Group where he is leading the transition from the KC-135 Stratotanker to the brand new KC-46 Pegasus aerial refueling tanker.
This military experience has helped him put everything in an unusually proper perspective about life.
More importantly, it also inspired his business mindset:
"My vision is I want to be the best,” he said. “Instead of differentiating myself on price, I want to do it on quality work and customer service that goes back to the Air Force core values."
These core values are clear; Laverdure’s business emphasizes integrity, service before self, and excellence in everything.
— Edited from original article by Dan Fleser
