By Maddie Duke
Hey everyone! For my senior project I created a PR plan for a business called June Pie, a bakery in Heber City, Utah, which also happens to be my hometown! For this project I wanted to help June Pie strengthen their public presence and bring more people into their new location. They moved to a larger space in Heber, but the transition wasn’t clearly communicated to the public. As a result, many people didn’t realize they had moved which led to a noticeable drop in foot traffic.
My focus was to create strategies to help June Pie reconnect with the community through local events, messaging, and social media. I started by researching their audience and evaluating what was working for them and what wasn’t. From there I created a PR plan centered on community involvement and better communication, both online and in-store, with a social media strategy that helped tell their businesses story.
One of the biggest parts of my project was planning two in-person events: a Pioneer Days Event and a Grand Reopening at their new location. These events were designed to bring customers back through their door and generate excitement as well as reminding people that June Pie is still in the Heber Valley just in a new space. I also wrote a press release to officially announce the location change and suggested ways to get the word out through local media and partnerships.
This project reminded me how powerful good communication can be. It’s not just about posting on Instagram or planning an event, it’s about helping people feel connected especially with the community. June Pie isn’t just a pie shop, It’s a place that brings people together one pie at a time.
It was very rewarding to help tell their story in a way that felt true to who they are and what they are promoting as a small local business. Working on my senior project made me excited for what my future career in Public Relations entails, especially with local businesses that care about what they do and who they serve. It was the perfect way to wrap up my college experience and step confidently into what’s next.