For This Thanksgiving, Let us Give Thanks for What we Have and What we are About to Receive.

Tomorrow we will celebrate Thanksgiving 2019.  We have much to be thankful for and it’s certainly petty to concentrate on the negatives instead of celebrating the positives.

So that’s what I’m doing here, today, on the Wednesday night before the eat-too-much Thursday before Black Friday, when American capitalism is in full bloom all over the country.

Let’s begin this Attesa update with a link to an article written by Heather Smathers for the Pinal Central newspaper.  It clearly explains what we’re going through toward completing the entitlement process and getting the necessary approvals in order to break ground and begin construction.

After you read the article, you’ll realize Attesa is mired in the quagmire of bureaucratic and legal red tape.  And we all know the rampant notions about ‘government overreach and job-killing, project-delaying regulations.’

But we must give thanks, sincerely, to all the city, county, state and other agency people who are working their very hardest to navigate the process on our behalf.  They don’t make the laws or write the guidelines; they just do their jobs to the best of their abilities without breaking any rules. And they do their jobs extremely well.

I will not emulate race winners in victory lane or Oscar recipients at the Academy Awards and try to name every single person who deserves our gratitude;  the various and many professionals who are helping us build Attesa include attorneys, engineers, land planners, water and traffic experts, etc. who are working closely in concert with equally excellent superstars from Pinal County and the City of Casa Grande.

They know who they are and hopefully realize our respect and appreciation for what they do for us.

Because thanks to their efforts, Attesa will soon become a reality instead of a concept.

Next, let me share how thankful I am to be part of Danrick Builders.  We are a small but mighty team, passionate and experienced and completely driven to reach our goal of building a world-class, international motorsports and entertainment destination in the heart of Arizona.

Not to be arrogant, but many have compared the economic impact of Attesa to when Intel came to the Grand Canyon State.  We’re going to be big. We’re going to be green and sustainable and forward-thinking.  We’re going to create positive economic opportunities for workers, businesses and education. 

I’m also thankful I live in Arizona, specifically in the Sonoran Desert.  We don’t have to worry about earthquakes, floods, tornadoes, volcanoes or forest fires.  Yes, we would like more water but tomorrow I will be in shorts and a t-shirt watching the New York City Thanksgiving Day Parade … where the temperature will be in the teens.

I love Arizona.

Finally, I am thankful for man’s greatest invention, the wheel, plus mankind’s greatest discovery – fire. 

I appreciate electric vehicles but being old school, my personal preference remains cars (ideally of the racing variety) powered by internal combustion engines to create mechanical motion, via fire that drives two or four wheels.  I like the unmuffled sounds of exhaust systems and the whoosh of air and fuel being sucked or forced into the powerplant.  I like the sounds of turbochargers or superchargers whining and backfires between shifts.

When I imagine Attesa I first think of sports car, stock car, open wheel and motorcycle races on the occasional weekend, on our primary circuit, and seeing vehicles being developed and tested there at all other times.  I think about the private driving club, and a separate track with direct-access Garage Majals, and our brand center, dedicated to cars and motorcycles being driven at their limits — including a driving school to let enthusiasts learn how to drive at speed safely, efficiently and for maximum enjoyment.

Yes, I’m addicted to motorsports.  And I am thankful for that, too.

Happy Thanksgiving to all, and please join  us in looking forward to a great 2019!