Space Cowboys really started at the age of 5, we just didn't know it yet. Mike Ash and Bill Aseere have been best friends since kindergarten at Prince of Peace in Covington, KY. They did everything together. In high school, they started some intramural sports teams with the Space Cowboys named after the Steve Miller song, "The Joker". It stuck.

 

In college, they became really close with Mark Halpin. In 2017, the 3 decided to take on entrepreneurship and started Space Cowboys Restaurant Group. Bill had 20 years of experience in the local pizza business and always secretly loved Donatos the most - so much so that he convinced Mike and Mark to buy some with him. The market in Northern Kentucky wasn't available to expand but Bill and Mike drove to Columbus, Ohio to pitch why they were the perfect candidates for new partners - they were all about quality and community. They carved out a multi-store deal to grow their market outside of the current 19 stores. They had a plan since the beginning to eventually buy out the other stores and grow their Space Cowboys company.

 

When they decided to open their first store in Independence, the location they liked was too big for just a Donatos, so they looked into what else they could bring. With Bill living in Independence and being on the city council for eight years, he was pretty dialed into the community. He knew just what they needed - ice cream. When he brought this to Donatos Corporate, they suggested looking at Whit's Frozen Custard. Like Donatos, Whit's is based out of Columbus originally and they were both premium products. So, Whit's it was.

​

In 2019, Space Cowboys added their three Guthrie's locations to the Northern Kentucky market by purchasing two existing franchises and putting their flagship location in Ft. Wright. Like their other two brands, Guthrie's is a premium product that likes to partner up with the community and give back.

​

The sky is limit with where Space Cowboys could go in the future. Join us for the ride!