6 minute read
BUSINESS
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Cubicles gave way to donuts for this baker
BY CHRISTINA FUOCO-KARASINSKI
Progress Staff Writer
Valley native Alex McEntire wanted something different. As she worked a corporate job in Seattle, she filled her free time making donuts.
She played with recipes and experimented with flavors. McEntire, who grew up along the Glendale/Peoria border, was inspired by salty, savory and spicy donuts. “I found I was having more fun with donuts than sitting behind my desk,” McEntire said. Just before the pandemic, McEntire opened Chin Up Donuts at 7325 E. Frank Lloyd Wright, Scottsdale.
“The whole mission is to provide joy and positivity,” she said. “I opened during the pandemic, when the world and the community needed a little more of it.” Chin Up Donuts is known for its Everything Bagel donut, which shares a salty,
Alex McEntire started Chin Up Donuts in Scottsdale after leaving a corporate
job. (Pablo Robles/Progress Staff Photographer) sweet combination. McEntire acknowledges it’s a little, well, questionable. “I have to persuade a lot of people to try it,” she said with a laugh. “It’s such a fun combination that your brain gets a little confused. We switch up donuts with other fun flavors.” Whoa Wasabi is a yeast-raised donut with a sweet and spicy wasabi glaze topped with a ginger-infused caramel drizzle. Sriracha-Cha, another yeastraised donut, has a sweet and spicy Sriracha glaze, and is coated in cinnamon sugar sprinkled with red pepper flakes. “Whatever I eat, I think about how I can turn it into a donut form,” McEntire said. “I just love pushing the boundaries of what’s found in a donut. I don’t think, inherently, they have to be sweet. The more eccentric flavors, the better. I was eating Mexican food and tried to figure out how I can turn it into a donut.” seeDONUT page 23
Ross Aviation expands airport footprint
BY KRISTINE CANNON
Progress Staff Writer
The sky’s the limit for premiere fixed base operator Ross Aviation. Since returning to Scottsdale Municipal Airport in 2016, Ross Aviation has not only become a dominant presence but is also in the midst of expanding — in more ways than one. On June 1, Ross Aviation along with domestic general building contractor JE Dunn Construction broke ground on an expansive new hangar and office building complex at SDL. “Putting shovels in the ground ... is the start of providing even greater hangar capacity for our customers here in Scott-
Ross Aviation along with domestic general building contractor JE Dunn Construction broke ground on an expansive new hangar and office building complex at SDL. sdale,” said Ross CEO Brian Corbett. And one month prior, Ross Aviation expanded its fixed base operator network with the acquisition of the FBO and other businesses of Silverhawk Aviation in Lincoln, Nebraska. “This is an important addition for us, not only from a geographic perspective, but from an operational one as well,” Corbett said. As an FBO, Ross Aviation is what some might describe as a gas station for aircraft. But for Ross Aviation, it’s more than that. As part of their new, 56,000 square seeAVIATION page 23
McEntire once considered a donut with nacho cheese, glaze and Doritos, but the chip became soggy. Like most restaurants and bakeries, Chin Up Donuts suffered through the pandemic. However, McEntire will receive a bit of help, thanks to Vans. She was invited to partner with Vans and its “Foot the Bill” initiative. In this partnership, McEntire designed a shoe as fun merchandise for her shop and to help it grow. She received a cut of the sales of 350 shoes and about 200 T-shirts. McEntire expects to receive the money in about four weeks. “I filled out an application and then filmed a video in the shop telling our story,” said McEntire, whose older sister, coincidentally, attended the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York. “A few weeks later, I found out I was selected to participate in it.
“I designed the shoe, both of which were available for sale. They designed the corresponding T-shirt. It was fun to design shoes. I wanted something gender neutral. I went off the branding of my boxes with stripes and cactus to tie in the Arizona roots.” The Kellis High School graduate calls it a “fairly simple design.”
Opening during the pandemic was tough, but McEntire was happy to be able to spread joy and positivity through her donuts.
(Pablo Robles/Progress Staff Photographer)
“People love the saguaro.” McEntire said she didn’t actually think she would win but appreciates it because she could use the help after a challenging year.
“I like to say I knew what I was getting into,” she added. “I built a business plan with projections. The business has been doing well, but we opened during the pandemic. It continues to grow, but the money can help me hire new employees to help the ones on board. It’s going to be great.”
Information: 480-912-1240, chinupdonuts.com
AVIATION ���� page 22
foot hangar and their two 3,000 square foot office buildings – a $13 million project – they will have even more space for their base customers at SDL. The new facility will also feature two primary bays with the capability to easily accommodate both Gulfstream 650 and Bombardier Global Express aircraft. “[The] groundbreaking further affirms our promise to invest in creating bestin-class facilities that allow us to provide an unmatched level of flight hospitality to make every customer’s journey as safe, hassle-free and pleasant as possible,” Corbett explained. Further, the new facility will aim to reduce business aviation’s impact on the environment via the solar panels installed onto the roof of the hangar and office complex. Its 36-space parking area will also feature EV charging stations.
Known for their environmental initiatives, including their “Fly More. Leave
The new facility will also feature two primary bays with the capability to easily accommodate both Gulfstream 650 and Bombardier Global Express aircraft. Less.” Carbon-offset program, Ross has other environmental initiatives in the works, including making electric crew cars widely available, investing in electric tugs and exploring photovoltaic systems on hangar roofs. “We believe that, together as an industry, we must do more to reduce our collective footprint,” the company states. Currently, Ross Aviation’s 100,000 square-foot, state-of-the-art facility offers a pilots’ lounge, snooze room, a flight planning room, two executive conference rooms for up to 18 people, and more. It also offers full-service concierge.
Scottsdale Mayor David Ortega said, “We have an amazing team and an amazing field, which we consider to be a backbone of executive travel here in the Valley.”
In addition to boasting high ranking for safety and service in recent industry surveys, Ross Aviation continues to expand its current 18-FBO network – a key strategy for the company. The acquisition of Silverhawk Aviation, which has been consistently ranked as one of the top FBOs in the Midwest, brings the company’s network to 18 locations in the U.S. and the Cayman Islands.
Additional new locations are anticipated to be announced before the year ends. Mike Gerdes, president of Silverhawk Aviation said, “We expect the FBO and MRO pieces of the business to continue to flourish under Ross Aviation, and this allows us to focus 100 percent of our effort toward continuing to provide the best value in private travel in the Midwest.”
