Today we’d like to introduce you to Malisa Scherber.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Austin has been detailing boats and cars for about five years, and I’m a flight instructor. We’ve been best friends since we were two years old, and we were looking for a way to hang out every day and still make a living. That’s how Tarmac Pro Detail got started.
At first, we worked straight out of our car—just the two of us, our gear, and a lot of determination. As things picked up, we got a van set up for mobile detailing, added decals, built a website, and started growing our presence on social media. We’re still expanding, but every step forward has been exciting.
Working together has been amazing, and yeah, it’s definitely tested our friendship in ways we didn’t expect—but it’s made us stronger. We get to do something we’re passionate about, together, every single day.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
When I asked Austin about the challenges we’ve faced, he just laughed and said, “What haven’t we faced?” And honestly, he’s not wrong. Some days it feels like we’ve tackled every curveball possible—equipment breaking, weather not cooperating, learning new skills on the fly—you name it, we’ve been there. Learning to buff and ceramic coat at a professional level meant cramming in as many buffing lessons as we could, and there was definitely a learning curve. On top of that, we had to figure out all the business side of things—forming the LLC, handling paperwork, and just tackling a lot of things we’d never done before. You don’t really know how to start a business until you just dive in and do it. In the early days, we even tried to reach out to our biggest competition—my dad’s friend happens to be best friends with the owner of Streamline—just to grab lunch and maybe learn a few things. Let’s just say the answer was a very clear “no.” Some of our marketing ideas didn’t exactly take off either, like the time we learned the hard way that you can’t put signs up at airports. But we’ve kept moving forward, figuring things out as we go. There’s not a big network of people in this niche to mentor you, so we’ve had to carve our own path—and maybe, just maybe, our competition’s a little nervous about how far we’ve come.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
At Tarmac Pro Detail, what really sets us apart is our ability to work around our clients’ flight schedules. We offer same-day mobile aircraft detailing and show up when needed—whether that’s 8 a.m. or midnight—because we know flexibility is everything in aviation. Our services are consistent every time, and we can tailor them to exactly what you need, whether it’s a full ceramic coating, a simple wax, or a three-stage paint correction.
We’re especially proud of how strong and consistent our brand has stayed. From day one, our logo, marketing, and social media presence have been on point, helping us stand out in the industry. And having a pilot’s eye on the job gives us an edge—an auto detailer can’t just step in and detail a plane, but a plane detailer can detail a car. We know how to work around sensitive components like boots, TKS, static ports, pitot tubes, and antennas, and that’s knowledge you don’t pick up from a quick internet search—you earn it in the field.
Austin’s attention to detail—built from years of experience in the detailing world—has taught me so much, and in turn, I’ve been able to share my aviation knowledge with him. That back-and-forth has made us both better at what we do, and it’s a big part of why our clients trust us with their aircraft.
What was your favorite childhood memory?
Back at my old house, we had this big farm with a barn full of all kinds of chemicals. Austin and I would sneak in there, grab whatever we could find, and mix it all together in buckets like we were mad scientists. We thought we were geniuses—our parents, not so much. They’d catch us in the middle of our “experiments” and get so mad, but honestly, we were just having the time of our lives. Looking back, maybe that was our first taste of working side by side and creating something… even if it wasn’t exactly safe.
Pricing:
- We give each aircraft a unique quote depending on condition and services.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://TarmacProDetail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tarmacprodetail?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==
