INSIDE THE DECEMBER 2024 ISSUE: Whiskey Row’s Original Speakeasy is Back p. 3 Rules are Changing for OHV Owners p. 4 Hispanic Entrepreneurs Embracing Culture, Tradition p. 6
New Book Reveals What Workers Want p. 12 COMMUNITY PROFILE: Bob Been Understands the RV Lifestyle p. 14 Restaurateurs Jim and Kelly Cabral Strengthen Quad Cities p. 16
Retro Trailer Court Adds Prescott Lodging Option Air Village is steps away from downtown Prescott
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By Peter Corbett, QCBN
n the Old West, they circled the wagons at night on pioneer trails. In Prescott, a family business has circled comfy travel trailers for overnight stays. It’s a new twist on trailer courts and vacation rentals that captures the
spirit and freedom of the American road for today’s travelers. This retro camp is called Air Village, with 10 restored Avion trailers in a park-like setting along Granite Creek. It’s a block from rowdy Whiskey Row, the Courthouse Plaza and set just off Montezuma Street, also known historically as U.S. 89, which originally ran
from border to border between Mexico and Canada. Air Village, which opened last December, is a family enterprise led by brothers Spencer and Austin Andrews, with their parents, Barry and Docy, in an advisory role. Their company, Loma Buena, LLC, bought the one-acre Air Village site for $830,000 in November 2020. The original plan was to tear down
a tire shop, clean up a junkyard and restore a motel on the site. But the old building proved unsuitable for redevelopment because of a cracked foundation and flood plain issues, Spencer Andrews said. The family shifted gears and decided to develop Air Village using 34-foot Avion trailers restored with luxury features.
Continued on page 29
Fanns of Giving Fann Contracting’s Culture of Supporting Community Needs Totals More Than a Million Dollars
E Mike Fann, captured here in 2016, has been signing a big check for local charities for nearly 20 years on behalf of the Fann Employee Making A Difference program. Courtesy photo
December 2024 | Issue 11 Volume 12
By Bonnie Stevens, QCBN
ighteen years ago, Fann Contracting CEO Mike Fann introduced the Fann Employees Making A Difference (FEMAD) program with a simple but powerful goal: to offer employees the feel-good opportunity of giving to the community, with their donations matched dollar for dollar by the company. As a third-generation, family-owned business, Fann Contracting is deeply rooted in the Prescott community and Arizona as a whole. Led by father-and-son team Mike and Jason Fann, the company is a leader in heavy-civil construction across the state, specializing in highways and transportation, aviation, utility infrastructure, materials supply and hauling and private development. Perhaps most visibly, Fann Contracting is deeply involved in the Interstate 17 realignment and widening project north of Phoenix, as part of the “Kiewit-Fann Joint Venture” with Kiewit
Infrastructure West, which is the primary contractor for the project. Despite its 60 years of helping to build Arizona, both Mike and Jason will tell you Fann Contracting’s true strength lies in its people. “Our employees are our family,” said CEO Mike Fann. “The people who come to work here aren’t just building projects; they’re building careers and communities.” Through FEMAD, employees can choose how their contributions are allocated among six nonprofits, which were identified with employee input: Catholic Charities Community Services, Coalition for Compassion and Justice, Prevent Child Abuse/Yavapai Family Advocacy Center, Stepping Stones Agencies, Polara Health and YEI!/Prescott Charities. Though he doesn’t like to choose favorites, the charity that touches Mike’s heart most is Yavapai Exceptional Industries (YEI!), which provides resources for adults with developmental disabilities. “They run programs for adults with mental disablities, provide them with jobs and employment, and give them a purpose and a challenge in life. Instead of looking at these people as a liability of the community, they see them as an asset. It’s a wonderful organization and the work they do is just phenomenal.” Continued on page 31