Staff Reports | Community Updates
Community banking can mean financing a small business, supporting a company’s expansion or, in Scottsdale Community Bank’s case, helping bring an 80-foot Ferris wheel to the Valley skyline.
Scottsdale Community Bank financed construction of the new Boardwalk Big Wheel, which recently opened at Arizona Boardwalk as part of the entertainment destination’s 10th anniversary celebration.
The attraction offers visitors a new vantage point of Scottsdale and the surrounding Valley while highlighting the types of projects the locally based bank helps support in the communities it serves, according to a press release.
From small-business loans to larger community-focused projects such as the Boardwalk Big Wheel, Scottsdale Community Bank said it seeks to reinvest resources in the local community.
“At Scottsdale Community Bank, local investment isn’t an abstract idea. It means putting our resources behind the people, businesses and projects that make this community such a great place to live and work,” Scottsdale Community Bank Board Chair George Weisz said. “Sometimes, that means helping a small business take its next step, and sometimes, it means helping get an 80-foot Ferris wheel off the ground. The scale may change, but the philosophy remains the same, regardless.”
Visible from Loop 101, the Boardwalk Big Wheel is the 10th attraction at Arizona Boardwalk, located at 9500 E. Via de Ventura, Suite E-100, Scottsdale, within the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community and Talking Stick Entertainment District.
The attraction features 18 enclosed, climate-controlled gondolas, each accommodating up to six riders. Guests can enjoy onboard music and LED lighting that illuminates the wheel after dark.
From the top, riders can take in 360-degree views of the Valley and surrounding mountain ranges, including the McDowell, Black, Mummy, Four Peaks and Camelback mountains.
The attraction also includes a historical element. Signatures from nearly 200 Arizona Boardwalk team members are displayed on some of the wheel’s steel panels.
Scottsdale Community Bank said it approaches projects of all sizes with the same local focus, evaluating both the people behind a project and its potential community impact.
Arizona Boardwalk opened in 2016 and features attractions including OdySea Aquarium, Museum of Illusions, Boardwalk Carousel and the Boardwalk Big Wheel, along with dining, shopping and outdoor entertainment offerings.
The Boardwalk Big Wheel is open at Arizona Boardwalk, 9500 E. Via de Ventura, Suite E-100, Scottsdale.
