Students took a selfie with Kristen Lavelett, executive director of Local First Utah, outside the University of Utah Department of Communication. Back row, from left: William Phifer III, McCall Gray, Liz Rojas, Sydney Bull, Brandon Risley, Alex Harrington, Nate Astill. Center row, from left: Brittni Strickland and Megan Dolle. Front row, from left: Kristen Lavelett, Shannon O’Connor, Calli Peterson. David Fisher took the photo.

Journalism students covered Salt Lake City’s diverse Small-Business community during spring semester 2015.

Student-journalists were: Nathan Astill; Sydney Bull; Ryan Carrillo; Megan Dolle; David Fisher; McCall Gray; Alex Harrington; Shannon O’Connor; Calli Peterson; William Phifer III; Brandon Risley; Liz G. Rojas; Brittni Strickland.

They reported on a variety of topics, businesses, people and issues in the community, including: 

• Unhinged, a unique boutique that features merchandise by local artists who “upcycle”;
• a popular yogurt business adjacent to the University of Utah campus;
• the Spice Kitchen Incubator, which offers training to refugees who want to start a food-based business;
• how a vintage store uses 21st-century technology — Instagram — to collaborate with local artists;
• popular food trucks, such as Cupbop Korean BBQ and HeidiCakes Gourmet CupCakes;
• rising singer Emily Bea, who uses social media to announce her latest releases;
• how an artist struggled to embrace the positive aspects of social media;
• The Road Home, a nonprofit that aims to get people “back into the community”;
• 3 Squares Produce, family owned for nearly 80 years;
• guitar maker Ryan Thorell, who creates one-of-a-kind instruments for musicians including Frank Vignola;
• Hires Big H, known for its freshly-ground burgers and its homemade fry sauce;
• resources available for entrepreneurs at the Women’s Business Center;
• a coffee shop in Roy that is well worth the drive.

Find links to their stories and read their blogs and bios by clicking on a name above, or by selecting Blogs & Bios from the drop-down box, at left. Stories also can be located by clicking on a Tag or selecting a topic such as Education from the Categories box.