This business plan is centered around the creation of a digital marketplace that will promote small businesses and sustainable shopping habits throughout the community and beyond. Our business decisions will be guided by our vision which involves encouraging environmentally conscious shopping habits, supporting small artists, and raising money for charity without compromising quality. In addition to our focus on creating a social media-based digital marketplace, we aim to ultimately help local artists grow their businesses and further support the causes they care about.

There is a serious lack of local news in Arizona, the American Southwest, and the United States at-large. Arizonans are craving quality, factual, no-holds-barred journalism that is easy-to-read, and upfront. Quality, local news that covers the ins and outs of politics, culture, and community has an opportunity to not only enhance civic life, promote community healing, and expand knowledge made available to the general public (thus serving the communities it calls home), but to also generate revenue. Further, independent and center-right leaning voters in the state of Arizona — be reminded that independents make up the second largest voting bloc among Arizonans — are often crowded out in a media environment that consists of far-left nonprofit-funded news sites like the Arizona Mirror, formerly reputable papers that have bled readership as they veer further left like the Arizona Republic, and far-right online blogs that reach a very limited audience. The Western Tribune is an Arizona-based journalistic publication. This institution is dedicated to providing high-quality, well-sourced news and commentary on statewide, regional, national, and international current affairs through the lens of good government and free enterprise — as well as Southwestern values. We are a free institution that believes in free institutions. We cover stories that go uncovered because of the corporate media’s blind spots (and they’ve got many — they’re a result of news deserts and out-of-touch coastal attitudes) with the stable support of a robust institution dedicated to Truth-seeking behind them. Our storytellers are not just good writers. We seek to recruit and form critical thinkers with skills that span trades, disciplines, and educational backgrounds. We are building an institution committed to excellence.

"FIJI's Shave to Save" took place in Fall 2021 when 47 members of Phi Gamma Delta (FIJI) at Arizona State University got their heads shaved as a public demonstration of the fraternity's commitment to the mission of the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) and their Center for Rare Childhood Disorders (the Center). Through tremendous community support, the majority of which came from members' families, FIJI alumni, and participating member sororities of Arizona State University's Panhellenic Council, we collectively raised $63,640 for the Center. These funds are directed towards the Center's groundbreaking research and efforts to improve the lives of children with rare disorders through genomic sequencing. Aside from the lives impacted by the fundraiser, this news was highlighted in publications from multiple media outlets and exhibited the positive impact that Greek Life is capable of. Months prior to this initiative, Taylor Dintzner (2021 Chapter President) and Cameron Chew (2021 Philanthropy Chairman) were lost and did not know how to approach the execution of a successful fundraiser. In December 2021, they met with Rob Caudill, Executive Director at the International Headquarters of Phi Gamma Delta (FIJI), to discuss international publicity for the initiative. The verdict was that other FIJI Chapters may benefit from a "toolkit" that details how FIJI at Arizona State University was able to raise $63,500 for TGen. "FIJI's Shave to Save: A Toolkit for Successful Fundraising by Charitable Organizations" is intended to be a resource that encourages FIJI Chapters internationally to execute their own "FIJI's Shave to Save" initiative, giving them all of the tools necessary to follow a similar format and raise funds for TGen's Center for Rare Childhood Disorders. Media Highlighting FIJI at Arizona State University's Community Impact: https://linktr.ee/fijigraduatechapter

How can we address the causes, impacts, and potential solutions of poor air quality in the Phoenix South Mountain Community? This project focuses on the science, history, and politics surrounding the poor air quality in the South Phoenix area, with an emphasis in creating and implementing local, generational, and technological solutions.

The Founders Lab is a team-focused, exploratory Barrett Thesis project that allows students the opportunity to discover and utilize their “inner entrepreneur”. This project empowers teams of students to come up with a business idea; create a strategic business model; conduct research on a target market; generate a brand style, logo, and other marketing-related materials; meet with business professionals as a way to receive feedback; and finalize a business plan with tangible deliverables. This project in particular focuses on the creation of an app that allows users to connect with others in competitive esports tournaments and participate in tutoring sessions for financial incentives. Throughout our experience participating in the Founders Lab, we were able to construct this business pitch.

Food is one of the most universal and uniting human experiences. It is a powerful tool to bring communities together and it is a simple way to bring joy to an individual. This project is an exercise in marketing and entrepreneurship that was inspired by these ideas, which culminated in a fundraiser bake sale to benefit Creighton Community Foundation, a local nonprofit.