BUSINESS
BRIEF
Baskin-Robbins is one scoop closer to re-entering the Maricopa market. City officials gave the Canton, Mass.-based ice cream shop a new commercial tenant improvement permit, meaning owners can get started on interior construction soon — and Maricopans are a little closer to enjoying their choice of 31 flavors. Phoenix-based commercial real estate developer Viaone revealed that it planned to open the ice cream parlor in the first quarter of 2025 when it announced the deal in June. Although the retail pad was built alongside the anchor Sprouts Farmer’s Market in 2021, there was no previous tenant.
Chick-fil-A intends to build a restaurant in Maricopa, according to a person with knowledge of recent Arizona Commerce Authority communications. The source said the planned drive- thru would be located somewhere on North John Wayne Parkway. InMaricopa has identified one specific retail pad in the Southbridge Marketplace that aligns with the specs Chick- fil-A requires of its franchisees. Pad B, to be built as part of the second stage of the Southbridge commercial development, will be a 3,500-square-foot building with dual drive-thrus on the northeastern corner of John Wayne Parkway and Honeycutt Avenue. Pizza Hut was issued a temporary certificate of occupancy after moving into its new, downsized storefront at 21101 N. John Wayne Parkway, four doors down from its previous location. Pizza Hut initially failed its inspection in late December “due primarily to fire code regulations” and was declared a condemned structure, said city spokesperson Monica Williams. “It’s important to note that these inspections ensure that all businesses meet life safety standards and protect the well-being of employees, customers and the community as a whole,” Williams said. Despite this, the pizzeria began operating without its certificate of occupancy — the document required before a business can officially open — over the holidays. It was immediately hit with a stop work order and the orange “do not enter” sign was installed until it passed a second inspection in January and reopened legally.
Maricopa’s “red-vested heroes” earned national recognition when Chicago-based Ace Hardware nabbed a top spot in the home improvement section of the Forbes 2025 list for Best Customer Service. The designation represents the top 1% of businesses in their category. “We certainly strive to be the best at customer service and, historically, we have,” said Maricopa Ace Hardware owner Dave Karsten.
Texas-based Action Behavior Centers ABA Therapy for Autism has installed signs on its new storefront at 41800 W. Maricopa-Casa Grande Highway in The Wells plaza. It will replace what once was Big 5 Sporting Goods, the city’s
only sporting goods store, which closed in December after eight years in business. The center will provide therapy to children between 1½ and 13 years old who are on the autism spectrum. An opening date has not been announced.
HIGHWAY 238 INDUSTRIAL PARK
Bubba Brewing Company
One year after their son died from an aggressive case of peritoneal mesothelioma, Paul and Dora Smith launched balloons in his honor outside their
home in The Lakes at Rancho El Dorado. It wasn’t the only launch the family was celebrating. Just two weeks earlier, they quietly opened their online coffee business, Bubba Brewing Company, which had generated $1,000 in sales. It’s a business that initially emerged when their son Paul Smith III was recovering from surgery. The Tortosa resident died in November 2023 at age 37. The coffee company currently offers three blends available in whole bean and ground, as well as two blends in K-cup form. BubbaBrewingCompany.com
Carl’s Jr., which opened in early July, is already up for sale. Asking price for the new charbroiled burger joint is a sizzling $3.4 million. The 3,800-square-foot commercial property is on John Wayne Parkway near Edison Pointe. The deal comes with a 20-year lease, brokers said. “It’s for sale as an investment sale,” said Alec Miller, acquisitions and dispositions manager for Scottsdale developer SimonCRE. “It will still stay in operation,” with the existing franchisee, StarCorp LLC, Miller added. The Gilbert-based franchisee operates more than 140 Carl’s Jr. restaurants in Arizona and Texas.
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Five local businesses were nominated for the top award at the Maricopa Chamber of Commerce’s Annual Awards Banquet Jan. 25.
The Pillar of the Business Community Award is given to a Maricopa business and chamber member that has made a “significant positive impact on Maricopa in the past year,” said Kelly Anderson, the chamber’s executive director. She said fellow chamber members nominated businesses that they believed “deserved to be honored.” The nominees for the award were InMaricopa , Global Water Resources, Water and Ice, Thai Chili 2 Go and Kooline Plumbing Heating and Air.
February 2025 | InMaricopa.com
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InMaricopa.com | February 2025
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