Startups

Puzzle Rides’ Unique Adventures also Support Other Old-Town Small Businesses

Katie and Gregg Dufort created Puzzle Rides, a mobile escape room-style scavenger hunt, in the middle of the pandemic. When their Old Town golf cart taxi service got shut down in 2020 because of coronavirus, the couple pivoted to bring one-of-a-kind experiences to the city. Puzzle Rides is an adventure game where players are taken on a scavenger hunt via golf cart and must use teamwork to solve a series of puzzles before time runs out. Like an escape room, players only have a limited amount of time to reach their final destination.

The adventures are much more than a game. Katie’s background led her to include historical facts about Scottsdale in the clues, so locals and tourists learn something new about the city. But the couple took things one step further. As a mom-and-pop operation themselves, they felt first-hand the economic blow of the pandemic and the nonexistent tourism season in 2020. Knowing their fellow local business owners were suffering as well, the Duforts decided to include more than 20 locally owned shops on their Puzzle Rides routes to bring new people and potential customers through their doors.

From family-friendly adventures to adults-only rides, participants in Scottsdale find themselves searching for hidden clues at The Spice & Tea Exchange, Giligan’s, The Rusty Spur, The Museum of the West, Rack Pool Hall, Taj Mahal, Zoolicans, Philadelphia Sandwich Company, Boondocks, Bevvy, Kelly’s at Southbridge, RockBar, Wasted Grain, Scapegoat Beer & Wine, BS West, Craft 64, Coach House, Goldwater Brewing, Porter’s Western Saloon and Pattie’s.

The partnerships have proven to be wildly successful and continue to evolve. When Puzzle Rides launched in July of 2020, only four signature mobile escape room-style scavenger hunts were available. Today, Puzzle Rides offers more than 13 rides and new adventures are being added at every turn in Old Town Scottsdale and Historic Downtown Prescott. —Holly Morgan

Puzzle Rides puzzlerides.com

In February 2021, Connect-UV donated three charging carts to Notre Dame Prep to help keep students and staff protected from dangerous germs. The charging carts are in the school’s computer lab, where they clean and charge laptops, tablets and keyboards between uses.

Connect-UV Sanitizes with the Power of Natural Light

Nic Brown founded Connect-UV in March 2020 in direct response to the COVID pandemic and the need to keep people safe from dangerous germs. Connect-UV provides UV-C sanitation products for consumers and businesses. UV-C is naturally occurring light that is filtered by our ozone layer. The wavelength of the light destroys the DNA of microorganisms including viruses, bacteria, and mold spores.

“I first learned about UV-C when I was researching solutions for cleaning car interiors for my detailing company, Dr. Shine My Ride,” Brown relates. “When the pandemic hit, I realized that UV-C could be a crucial component to helping people get back to normal.”

The technology has been used in hospitals and water purification for nearly a century. Our products help bring UC-V into the home and office. We offer small, desktop sanitizing chargers for phones, air purifiers, charging lockers, charging carts, and full room sanitizers.

One big challenge Brown faced in starting and growing the company has been educating consumers and companies on how UV-C works — and gaining trust that his products utilize real UV-C lights. “The glut of fake UV-C products capitalizing on COVID to make a quick buck has been harmful to companies like ours in this regard,” he shares. Another challenge comes, perhaps surprisingly, from his belief that everyone and all companies can benefit from clean air, surfaces and electronics, because that, he explains, “can make it difficult to focus on specific industries to get a foothold.”

The other challenge he names has been balancing building a company with schoolwork. “I’m still a high school senior,” he says. He credits his family for their great help. “My mom, Wendy, is the company CEO; my uncle Tom is leading business development; and my dad, Eddie, is our biggest cheerleader.”

In founding Connect-UV, Brown has put into play advice that he values: “If you have a good idea, act on it. Don’t sit back and allow others to succeed where you could have.” —RaeAnne Marsh

Connect-UV connectuv.com