Adventure startup wins Moonshot state competition.
On Friday, Aug. 2, Dufort won the grand prize of $10,000 in the statewide Moonshot Rural Pitch Tour Competition in Cottonwood. She says the award will help her expand the hours of current staff members and hire more tour guides at both locations, Prescott and Scottsdale.
“We just hired two more puzzle masters in Prescott and have three coming on in Scottsdale,” she said.
As she explains, Puzzle Rides is like an escape room outside. Guests explore historic Prescott or Scottsdale from a golf cart and become part of the experience, whether it calls for chasing bank robbers in a Wild West Heist, exploring hauntings in the Ghost Riders tour, walking the plank in the Pirates Treasure Adventure or stopping a mad scientist in the Hijacked by Science trip.
“Our oldest rider was 95. Her 20-something grandchildren were sitting behind her with their hands on her shoulders. It was really sweet,” said Dufort, noting that guests need to be at least 7 years old to ride in the golf carts. “We also had a 60th wedding anniversary for 25 people in Scottsdale. The wedding couple was in their 80s and they had their grandchildren and great grandchildren along. It was a blast!”
One rider, Emily, left this review: “Escape Room Meets Geo Caching! This was such a fun experience. We were looking for something we could do with my older aunt and our 9- and 10- year-old kids while we were visiting Prescott. This was the perfect activity to bring everyone together on a mutual quest while sightseeing and learning a bit about the city. We will be trying the next adventures when we come back.”
Dufort and her husband, Gregg, started the business in fall 2016 as a business-to-business shuttle service, sponsored by local realtors. “We worked with them for two years and it was a great relationship, but we only made enough money to cover the bills.”
That changed when the Duforts turned their golf carts into sleigh rides in December 2019. “We sold out. We made the most money we had ever made in a month! And then we wondered, ‘What else can we do?’”
Shortly after that, the family – Katie, Gregg and their three adult children – experienced an escape room and talked about how much fun it was. “Immediately, I got the idea of going location to location and trying to beat the clock with puzzle rides. That night, I bought the website, puzzlerides.com, for $1.”
And that’s when the family business with its fleet of golf carts began to gain traction. Puzzle Rides Prescott opened in June 2020 and Puzzle Rides Scottsdale was rolling in October the same year. “We started during the pandemic and it has really taken off.”
Both of their daughters, Abbie Cornelius, 28, and Parry Bonlender, 22, are puzzle masters. Their son, Charlton, 24, wants to be a Puzzle Rides scout after his tour with the Marines. “He has already pegged Wilmington, North Carolina, as a great location. That’s near where he is stationed,” she said.
Dufort learned about Moonshot and its pitch competitions through an online newsletter from the Arizona Commerce Authority, a sponsor of the nonprofit organization that promotes entrepreneurs and entrepreneurial ecosystems in rural Arizona communities.
She began seeking business support and coaching from the Small Business Development Center at Yavapai College. “They have been wonderful. Karen Eads was incredible. She helped me get very specific with my messaging.”
With coaching from Eads, an SBDC business analyst, Dufort won the local Quad Cities Moonshot competition in March and competed against 15 other start-up founders in the state finals.
“Katie has a unique business model and worked hard to prepare a solid presentation,” said Eads. “She continued to make changes and improvements on her slides and was really confident. We are so proud of her win.”
“The competitors left nothing on the stage, showcasing a wide range of products and services, including baked goods, artificial intelligence in role-playing games, a reptile sanctuary, a construction workforce training school and fishing tackle,” said Moonshot President and CEO Scott Hathcock of the state competition. “The spectrum of startups was broad and the passion within their five-minute pitches was electric.”
After winning last month, the future for Dufort and her business is no puzzle. “Winslow is at the top of my list for our next location. If people are already ‘standing on the corner in Winslow, Arizona,’ let’s keep them there for a while longer and do some Puzzle Rides!”
And she plans to build a franchise. “Puzzle Rides touches on the humanities, learning about history and looking at art as riders put the pieces together to make a complete picture. It has proven to be successful and duplicatable, and we believe it has national appeal.”
She says the home office and corporate team will be based in Prescott.
“I have never built a company before and I’ve learned that there are so many resources for business owners and the majority are free, funded by federal and state government agencies and local businesses,” said Dufort. “We received so much wonderful support and so much valuable feedback through the Moonshot experience.”
“We are so humbled that these founders are allowing Moonshot to play a small role in their journey and startup dreams,” said Hathcock. “What was witnessed on stage at the state competition represented the best of what is to come in economic development across rural Arizona. The start-up engine in Arizona is roaring loudly.” QCBN
By Bonnie Stevens, QCBN
Photo by Kay Lyons: Katie Dufort (seated) is riding high on her Puzzle Rides venture, sort of an escape room on wheels offering Wild West Heists and Pirates Treasure Adventures in downtown Prescott and Scottsdale.
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