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Realty firm making old firehouse home

BY ALEX GALLAGHER Progress Staff Writer

Walt Brown Jr. has built his business with an eye for exciting real estate around the state.

He also has always wanted a unique place that his company could call home. “We’ve been at our current office for over 10 years and we’ve always wanted a unique and special type of environment,” the Diversified Partners CEO and founder said. “We looked at churches that we thought would be cool to have an office in along with places along Scottsdale Road that we thought was too standard for us.”

Then came the news in 2018 that the Scottsdale Fire Department was relocating from a 51-year-old firehouse on McDonald Drive and Scottsdale Road to a new station

Diversified Partners acquired the former home of Scottsdale Fire for just over $2 million with plans of converting the space into its home base. (Special to the Progress)

on Indian Bend and Hayden roads. “We knew that there was a new fire station being built at Indian Bend and Hayden and we thought ‘what’s going on?’” Brown recalled.

Scottsdale Fire moved Fire Station 603 in late 2020, leaving the once-bustling building vacant.

That was when Brown began to seriously consider moving his business a block up the road to the iconic building. He reached out to the City to inquire about purchasing it and found out that the city had plans to auction the site.

But Brown was determined to make it his own.

He toured the facility and liked its high ceilings, unique history and the flagpole outside the main entrance.

“We knew we wanted to make the move after we evaluated it,” Brown said.

Then came January when the building

seeDIVERSIFIED page 25

Salon helps clients find comfort in their skin

BY ALEX GALLAGHER Progress Staff Writer

Gabriella Iafrate remembers what it was like to struggle with acne.

She tried for years to use drug store products to cure it herself but it was not until she heard about taking classes at Penrose Academy in Scottsdale that she discovered her passion for skincare.

“Thorough product knowledge, knowing what formulation to put on to my skin and what ingredients to put on my skin helped,” Iafrate said.

She was able to cure her acne and felt radiant for the first time in years.

Her light then beamed onto models at Penrose who would allow students to get hands-on experience.

“When I was going through school, we had models who would come to the spa on campus and after seeing everybody’s confidence made me feel good about myemy, Iafrate took a job working at a medical spa where she worked for about five months when she found herself jobless when the pandemic was declared.

As scary as this time was, it gave Iafrate time to devise a plan to start her own business.

“I always wanted to go out on my own, but I never knew when and how,” she said. “After being in quarantine, I was able to think about it and make a set plan.”

Iafrate began looking into the ins and outs of business and discovered that it would be a challenge. “I had to learn which LLC to get, the right taxes, I had to get certified in skincare and it was a lot from the business aspect,” she said.

However, she knew that if she were going to achieve her goal of making more

Gabriella Iafrate is delighted with the new space she secured for her growing salon,

Skin Deep Beauty. (David Minton/Progress Photographer)

was appraised at just over $1.13 million and the city set a minimum bid of just over $1.16 million.

Brown and his team entered their auction determined to spend as much as needed to procure the space.

“We got our ducks in a row and went to the auction with the mentality that we weren’t leaving until we bought the property,” Brown said. “There were some great real estate minds at that auction, even some friends of mine, but I had to buy it.”

They wound up with a winning bid of just over $2 million.

Although elated to have secured a dream space, Brown knew it would be a tall order to convert a fire station into an elaborate office space. “The fire station has a ton of electrical in it that you wouldn’t need in an office building,” Brown said.

He also realized that the building needed updates.

“Whenever you’re dealing with an old building that’s been remodeled three times, it’s sometimes tough to work through in terms of redefining the space,” Brown said. “There are different ceiling heights, there’s old HVAC and the garage has HVAC that consists of evaporative coolers.”

“We’re envisioning this will take all new electrical, new HVAC and a new roof,” Brown added.

He also is working on devising a plan for the building that modernizes it while keeping the classic aesthetic of the former fire station.

“We are unique in our own right and that building is unique,” Brown said. “It has a history to it and we’re trying to protect that history in our remodel.” Brown is still mulling final design plans with his team and has grand plans to create an idea lounge, a display room for his team’s projects, two large conference rooms and possibly add 1,200 to 1,500 square feet of space to the back of the building to accommodate a gym. “We really want to give the work environment some strong focus so that people will want to be there,” Brown said. “What we’ve found is that the more time we spend together, the more deals we do.”

However, Brown admits it is going to be a struggle to create a building that merges tradition with modernity.

“It would be easy to rip that building down and create a new building and it’s a lot tougher to do a retrofit in something that’s really cool,” he said. “We’re trying to figure out a balance though installing a firepole and leaving one of the garage doors open to park by the conference room.” One of the ways he plans to do that is by altering the front structure of the building. “I would love to alter the front structure to make it modern but retain the element of a fire station,” Brown said.

He also is working tirelessly to ensure that the design is done right before breaking ground for the renovation .

“Design is everything and we’re taking extra time to make sure that we do this right,” he said. “The minute we can figure out a proper design, we may apply for a demo permit to be able to do some light demo work to better understand the structure. Following that, we’ll apply for a permit and it’ll be full speed ahead with construction beginning around July, hopefully.”

Brown estimates it could take seven months for construction and is extremely excited to move into the space in early 2023.

“We’re excited to be a part of the community and we’re looking forward to doing a great job on the building and in relocating our company,” he said.

Info: dpcre.com

SKIN ���� page 24

people feel comfortable in their skin, the challenges would be worthwhile.

She then found a small studio off of 70th Street and Shea Boulevard and despite the space being a tight squeeze, she made it work for a year.

During this time, Iafrate developed a system to aid clients in customizing their skincare routines and began offering services she is certified in like microneedling, dermaplane, and chemical peels. Most visits begin with Iafrate asking simple questions and then devising a plan for clients. “The first thing I ask clients is what they’re using on their skin,” she said. “It could be Sephora; it could be a medicalgrade or you never know what they’re using.”

In addition to providing tips on proven products, Iafrate also offers 60-minute and 90-minute-deep cleaning facials, firming anti-aging facials, and acne clarifying facials.

However, she is always cognizant that everyone’s body and skin are different.

“What might work on me might not work on someone else and vice versa,” she said. After a year in the tight confines of her first space, a new venue became available that offered too good of an opportunity for Iafrate to pass up.

An unoccupied space in the newly created beauty district off Loop 101 and Shea Boulevard became available just as Iafrate’s lease was set to expire. In May 2021, she moved into an even larger room inside the beauty district in March.

“The convenience was a huge factor,” Iafrate said. “A lot of my clients love how this is near a Starbucks and right off the 101 and it’s close to home for me.”

In addition to being in a space that offered convenience, Iafrate also saw an opportunity to grow her business as she is surrounded by similar small salons and owners in the facility frequently network with one another and share clients, allowing her to make more people feel comfortable in their skin.

“When customers get up and tell me my skin looks so good, it feels so great and when they come back and notice a difference, that’s what makes me feel good,” she said. “When people don’t feel good in their skin, they have low confidence and when they have that confidence it feels really good.”

Although she is currently content with her business, she is excited about the growth potential of her industry and is excited to keep growing her clientele and the brands of cosmetics she sells in her studio.

“I have everything I want but this industry is continuing to grow,” Iafrate said.

Info: Skindeepbeautyaz.com

Plexus again sponsoring railroad park

PROGRESS NEWS STAFF

Plexus Worldwide, one of the largest direct selling health and wellness companies in the world, has renewed its status as McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park’s presenting sponsor for 2022.

“We truly enjoyed our role as the presenting sponsor of Scottsdale’s McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park as it hosted so many wonderful events during 2021,” said co-founder/CEO Tarl Robinson. “The railroad park is such a special place in our community, bringing so much joy to kids and adults of all ages across the greater Scottsdale area.” The McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park is operated by Scottsdale Parks & Recreation. The 30-acre park, located in the heart of Scottsdale, has become a local gem through numerous private donations and the support of partnerships with the Scottsdale Railroad and Mechanical Society, a privately-run board whose sole purpose is to benefit and enhance the park.

Families and visitors to the park can find a variety of shops and museums, enjoy the one-of-a-kind playground, or just relax in the grass .

“The Plexus partnership came at a perfect time to provide the park with some extra financial stability with all the unknowns of 2021,” said Sunny Nakagawa, Parks & Recreation manager for McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park. Alec Clark, President and co-founder of Plexus Worldwide, noted, “The events hosted at the park create wonderful memories for children and families, whether it be Exclusively Little Expo, the summer concert series, Spook-track-Ula, or Holiday Lights, bringing our community together in smiles.”

Plexus Plexus products include four categories: gut health, weight management, skincare, and nutrition.