Hi, my name is… Katie Dufort.
I’ve lived in North 32nd for three years and I love it because… It’s like a tiny town in the middle of a big city. We have our own parks, trails, local grocery, local restaurants, and neighbors still talk to their neighbors when walking their dogs.
A typical day in my life includes… Quite a bit of work! My husband and I run our own business called Puzzle Rides that’s a mobile escape room-style scavenger hunt on golf carts. During the pandemic, we had to change our business model and we continue to work from home. While our business has locations in both Prescott and Scottsdale, we are blessed to do the day-to-day from our home office or back patio!
My family… has welcomed my newly widowed father into our home. He’s 82 and has Parkinson’s, so there are some day-to-day challenges. Thankfully with the help of some in-home care provided by the VA, we can have Dad enjoy living with us instead of being in a nursing home. He’s surrounded by our three dogs, cat, family, and his older grandchildren. He also gets to enjoy home-cooked meals!
One thing I cannot live without is… My faith. Coffee I can skip, my phone I can shut off, but my faith in God has gotten me through some very difficult days.
My favorite movie I could never get tired of watching and why… Top Gun! Danger Zone is my ringtone! Every single time I watch the movie, I hope Goose doesn’t die this time. As the oldest daughter of an Air Force vet who had no sons, I grew up loving jets and rocket ships. I watch the movie over and over just for the flying scenes. It’s been difficult knowing the sequel is done and in the can but has been delayed over two years because of the pandemic!
When I was younger, I wanted to be… An astronaut, actress or architect. I suppose building a company makes me an “architect” and my goodness, as a puzzlemaster, there is acting involved!
The song I would sing at Karaoke night is… “God Bless the USA” by Lee Greenwood.
The one person who motivates me is… Me. As an entrepreneur I can’t count on anyone else to make sure the job gets done – I must be accountable to myself. I have found music to be highly motivating. There aren’t many things AC/DC’s Thunderstruck can’t motivate me to get done!
The last thing that made me laugh out loud was… A text by one of our drivers commenting on how well our last Puzzle Relay went by pointing out which problems didn’t occur this time!
The perfect day would be… Driving on the overseas highway in the Florida Keys in a convertible, blaring music, accompanied by my hubby on a perfect, sunny 80-degree day.
My favorite local business to visit is… Basha’s grocery. I have a disability and they have always been very accommodating when many other places are not. It’s small things that go a long way when it’s easy to be dismissed by others.
My life… Is an adventurous journey that keeps getting better!
The best gift I’ve ever received was… A $12 heart ring from my hubby when we were dating many years ago. I had to move back to Prescott from Scottsdale and he gifted it to me so I wouldn’t forget him. He later proposed with that sweet little ring; I still wear it to this day.
My dream vacation would be to… Michigan! I’m a Michigan native and I’ve been missing Mackinac Island for the better part of five years now. I’m anxious to get back.
The best piece of advice I’ve ever received… Is never, never, never give up – on life, on people, in business, on yourself – just never give up. Your success rate for surviving bad days is 100%, you just need to keep going.
