Supervisor at Hotel Roanoke by day, pilot at heart — building toward a career directing traffic in the sky instead of the driveway.
I'm Leo Peters, currently supervising the valet team at the Hotel Roanoke — a role that runs on the same instincts air traffic control demands: keeping fast-moving operations organized, staying calm when things get busy, and making sure every "arrival" and "departure" happens safely and on time.
I started working young — driving delivery routes up and down the East Coast at 16 for our family-owned service dog company, Peters' Puppies, where I later became lead dog trainer, training future service dogs. A year later I earned my Private Pilot's License at 17, before I could legally sign most of the paperwork I sign today as a supervisor. That early start behind the wheel and in the cockpit is what pointed me toward aviation as a career, not just a hobby.
Between Peters' Puppies and Hotel Roanoke, I've built five years of customer service and sales experience — from selling eggs and placing service dogs with families, to guiding hotel guests through curbside arrivals and departures.
Right now I'm building the operational and leadership experience on the ground that I'll carry into air traffic control or aviation management — learning how a complex, safety-critical operation actually runs, one shift at a time.
Every flight plan starts somewhere. Mine starts with being adopted at age 4 and arriving in the United States at age 5. I'm the youngest of eight siblings, and the youngest of four adopted children in my family.
That start shaped how I move through the rest of this flight plan — adaptable, grounded in family, and used to finding my footing in new places.
Every operation needs a ground crew — the work that keeps things running before anything ever leaves the runway.
Open to conversations about aviation opportunities, mentorship, or just talking flying.
References available upon request.