His way of serving: Big Island detailer picked again to be on elite team preserving historic Air Force One

The third time was more than a charm.

Big Island resident Robin Marquez, owner and operator of Signature Auto Detail Hawaiʻi, once again this year joined an elite group of professional detailers entrusted with the preservation of one of America’s most iconic aircraft — Air Force One.

Marquez received invite No. 3 to the prestigious Air Force One Detailing Project, hosted from July 6-13 at the Museum of Flight in Seattle.

The North Kohala man was also selected to participate in 2024 and 2019.

“This project represents more than just detailing,” Marquez said in an announcement about his selection prior to this year’s project. “It’s about honoring our country’s history and doing my part to protect something bigger than myself.”

He was part of a carefully crafted team of 37 skilled detailers from throughout the nation who spent last week restoring and maintaining the presidential jet known as SAM (Special Air Missions) 970 — the original Air Force One that transported former U.S. Presidents Dwight Eisenhower, John Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon.

The aircraft — retired and displayed in the Museum of Flight’s open-air Aviation Pavilion — endures constant exposure to Seattle’s damp climate, requiring regular preservation work to prevent deterioration.

Also included in the restoration effort are several additional aircraft of historical importance, such as the Concorde Alpha Golf, the first Boeing 727 and 747 jets, a World War II B-29 Superfortress and the Lockheed Super Constellation Connie.

Throughout the past two decades, the project has evolved with new techniques, technology and collaboration with sponsors and the Museum of Flight.

The finishing team Marquez joined this year was a smaller, specialized group within the project, reserved for returning veterans tasked with intricate aluminum restoration work on Air Force One and the other historic aircraft.

Renny Doyle — master detailer and industry leader who began the project in 2003 after being approached by the administration of then-U.S. President George W. Bush — continues to lead the aircraft restoration initiative at the Seattle flight museum.

“The main quality is dedication to team and family,” Doyle said in the announcement about the qualities he looks for in detailers during the selection process for the project. “Our group is all about loyalty, dedication to family, dedication to one another, community and to providing quality craftsmanship to the markets we service.”

Marquez trained in 2018 — a year before he was first selected to participate in the Air Force One restoration project — under Doyle at Detailing Success, an auto detailing and business-building training experience based in Big Bear, Calif., founded by the veteran auto detailer and entrepreneur.

“This year’s project is going amazingly well,” Doyle said heading into last week. “The quality we are seeing is over the top and far above expectations.”

He said one of the reasons Marquez — who in 2012 founded Signature Auto Detail Hawaiʻi, a mobile business that serves North Kohala, Waimea, Honoka‘a, Waikōloa and Kohala Coast communities — was selected for the Air Force One preservation project is because he is not “just a team leader, he is a leader.”

Marquez doesn’t just set standards for quality, he’s also a steward of solid performance while conducting himself at the highest levels morally and ethically.

“He is a true leader and an amazing friend to us all,” Doyle said in the announceement.

Marquez has more than a decade of experience in automotive detailing, specializing in restoration, preservation and protection.

Known for precision, integrity and attention to detail, his business Signature Auto Detail Hawaiʻi has earned the same reputation for quality and reliability.

Marquez is proud to represent Hawai‘i again as part of the Air Force One Detailing Project.

“It’s physically demanding work, but the sense of purpose and camaraderie keeps me coming back,” he said in the announcement.

He has not served in the military, but has family members who have, including his father Robert Marquez, who was a member of the U.S. Navy, and brother Kyle Marquez, who retired from the U.S. Air Force.

Participating in the Air Force One project is his way of serving.

To be asked back for a third time: “Is incredibly humbling,” Marquez said.