TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — At iFIX Smartronics on Tucson’s North Side, owner Jesus Mascareño is working hard to make a living on this side of the border.
His journey has taken him from the Mexican state of Sinaloa to Tucson then Texas and, eventually, back to the Old Pueblo, where he has built a business focused on technology repair.
“Building something out of nothing,” Mascareño said.
For Mascareño, life has never been handed to him.
He grew up in Angostura, Sinaloa, before making his way to Tucson and attending the University of Arizona on a full-ride scholarship. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in computer science in 2006.
Before that, he attended Pima Community College on a full-ride scholarship, where he began building the foundation for his future.
He met his wife, Megan, and the two married in 2009. They now have two children.
And like a true Sinaloan, Mascareño built his business brick by brick.
“Perseverance and the few friends that I’ve made that were bilingual really helped me," Mascareño said.
He started in McAllen, Texas, moving there to be closer to family who was living in the area at the time.
In 2011, he opened iFIX Smartronics and spent the next eight years building a brick-and-mortar business serving the Rio Grande Valley in deep South Texas.
“We love Texas, but Tucson was a no-brainer to move back," Mascareño said.
Mascareño moved back to the Old Pueblo in late 2019, opening his Tucson location amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We got to do it now and we went for it," Mascareño said.
His love of science and handyman work helped fuel his passion for repairing technology.
“Since [I] was little I always liked taking things apart and I always put them back together the same way," Mascareño said jokingly.
But life can never be simple with a business.
Like many businesses in the country, iFIX Smartronics has been affected by tariffs on many of its international imports.
“Obviously our prices have to go up on some of the repairs," Mascareño said.
Despite the adversity, Mascareño has managed to build a strong customer base over the last six years.
“We have built a great customer base," Mascareño said.
Now, the business is putting its focus on the community.
Mascareño is trying to secure local contracts with school districts for IT repairs while also taking time to educate the public about how to properly stay aware of potential threats online.
For Mascareño, the goal goes beyond repairing phones, computers and other devices. It is about continuing to build something of his own while using the skills he developed along the way to help the community around him.
From Angostura to Tucson, his journey is one of perseverance, family and building a business from the ground up.
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