Utah Valley Magazine

09/11/2025

09/09/2025

✨Introducing the new owner of Utah Valley Magazine & Business Q: Noel Vallejo✨

We sat down with Noel for a quick Q&A to hear why he bought the magazine, what he loves most about Utah Valley, and how he plans to carry on its legacy. 👇

Q&A
Q: Why did you buy Utah Valley Magazine?
A: “My desire to buy Utah Valley Magazine started more than 10 years ago. I wanted to promote Utah and tell the world about the amazing people here. I saw the the impact of Utah Valley Magazine. So, one day I went to visit Jeanette Bennett at her office, unannounced, and said, ‘I want to buy Utah Valley Magazine.’ Jeanette was kind but said, ‘We are not for sale.’ Fast forward to 2025: I overheard a conversation that let me know Utah Valley Magazine might be for sale. I once again approached Jeanette and inquired — this time, she accepted my offer.”

Q: What’s your favorite thing about Utah Valley?
A: “I’ve traveled to many places over my career. At some point during every trip you will hear me say, ‘Let’s go home.’ Utah Valley is my home. My favorite thing about living here is all of the wonderful, welcoming, caring, hard-working people I already know here, as well as the new ones I meet each day.”

Q: How do you plan to carry on the legacy and branding that Utah Valley Magazine has established?
A: “I want to share with the world the good things that are happening in our valley and in our state. I want to help the people here become experts and use their vision and skills to make good things happen. I want to be trustworthy in what we say and do.”

09/04/2025

Fearless Female Highlight ✨: Michelle Carroll has spent 17 years with the Mountainland Association of Governments (MAG), where she now serves as executive director. MAG is one of Utah’s “best kept secrets,” working in transportation planning, aging and family services and economic development to make life better across Utah Valley. 🚙🏡

Her path to leadership started with a compassionate heart — first rescuing animals as a child, later pursuing dreams of marine biology and eventually channeling that same drive into serving people. Under her guidance, MAG has grown from a “one-woman shop” to a team of 25, launched innovative programs and even raised $700,000 in just one year to support Meals on Wheels for homebound seniors. 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

As a leader, Michelle empowers her team by embracing both confidence and humility. She believes that empowering others and yourself is the key to making confident decisions. 🙌🏼

“I want this to be a well-oiled machine so my successor can step in and take it to the next level,” Michelle says. “Whether you’re at the reception desk or a department director, we want to look at ways to innovate, and not be stuck in a mindset of ‘this is the way it’s always been done.’”

09/02/2025

Fearless Females Spotlight: Shima Baradaran Baughman✨

One of Shima’s earliest memories is men with machine guns invading her home in Iran. Her mom and aunt were imprisoned for over two years for being politically active against the government, while her dad served as a surgeon on the front lines of the Iran-Iraq War. She was raised by her grandma and aunts, and one of her proudest days was becoming an American. 🇺🇸

In L.A., a Persian nurse introduced her to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, inspiring her to attend BYU. Though she began with dreams of becoming a doctor, she discovered a passion for research and writing, which led her to BYU law school instead. 📖📝

Shima credits her faith for the life she has today and believes that when religion and state are able to maintain their own lands and support each other, the societal good is endless.

“Before, I had seen my work and faith different,” says Shima. “But then I witnessed people of faith ministering to those in pretrial detention. I started to shift my thinking: I wanted to use the tools of faith that I already had to help others leave a life of crime and addiction.”

08/29/2025

📣 Utah Valley, it’s time for the cougar to ROAR! 🏈 BYU football officially kicks off TOMORROW NIGHT at 6 PM! Whether you’re repping blue from your couch or bringing the energy in the student section 🎉, you won’t want to miss this game. 💙

Photo:

08/28/2025

Curtains up, Utah Valley
— your next must-see show opens TONIGHT! 🎭

Get ready for laughs as Shakespeare, Broadway showtunes 🎶 and creative chaos collide in this roisterous comedy of Something Rotten at The Ruth in Pleasant Grove. 🎭

⭐️ Winner of Best Musical and hailed by Time Out New York as “the funniest musical comedy in at least 400 years,” this is a show that’s delightfully rotten. 🙌🏼🤣

Visit theruth.org to snag your tickets before they run out! 🎟️

08/26/2025

Fearless Females Spotlight: Esther Hi’ilani Candari ✨

Through her art, Esther Hi’ilani Candari tells stories that spark conversation about meaningful topics. Born and raised in Oahu with time spent in the Philippines, Hong Kong, and Arizona, her global upbringing shines through her paintings. Today, she calls Utah Valley home, but her canvas carries the colors of every place she’s lived. 🎨

Her journey to art wasn’t straightforward. She once dreamed of becoming a scientist, but realized she was drawn to storytelling and working with her hands. That path led her to BYU–Hawai’i, residencies in New York and Virginia, and eventually to owning and directing the Compass Gallery in Provo. Along the way, she’s become the artist for Brandon Sanderson’s upcoming book Isles of the Emberdark, the art editor for Wayfare Magazine, and a board member for Faith Matters Foundation. 📗🎨

For Esther, art is never just personal — it’s communal. She sees creativity as a way to honor ancestors, uplift neighbors, and celebrate diversity. “I view my work communally. That comes from growing up with that Polynesian cultural influence. You do things for your ancestors, your family and the people around you.”

08/21/2025

Fearless Females Spotlight: Blake Owens✨

While uncovering her family history, Blake Owens was inspired to create a performing group where multicultural college students could celebrate their roots and connect with one another. The result was Legacies Utah, a nonprofit dance group that brings stories to life through movement and performs across the West. 💃🌎

Since its start, the group has performed countless times — including a tour through California, where they shared their art with elementary schools. 🎭📚 But the impact goes far beyond the stage. Not only are audiences moved by the performances, the dancers themselves grow — gaining friendships, leadership skills and a deeper sense of identity. 🌟

“The experience that our performers get, and being able to share that with the children, has been so amazing,” Blake says. “We all come from places where sacrifices were made for us to be here today.” ❤️

08/19/2025

🎨 This week, August 21- 23, summer gets a splash of color at The Shops at Riverwoods!

🌞 Nationally recognized artists are coming together for a vibrant chalk art festival, with proceeds going to Spectrum Academy, an Utah charter school for students with autism and other neurodiversities. 🖌️

👀Come stroll the streets and admire the masterpieces — it’s art for a good cause and a feast for the eyes! ✨

08/14/2025

Today NRV Utah, a new Utah-forward individual and organizational empowerment company, finalized its purchase of Bennett Communications, longtime publisher of Utah Valley Magazine and Utah Valley Business Q. The acquisition signals an exciting new era in the 25-year history of the flagship publications about life and business in Utah Valley.

The transfer of ownership frees up longtime editor-publisher wife-husband duo Jeanette and Matt Bennett to pursue new interests while ensuring that the loyal readership they have cultivated since 2000 will continue to get top-quality coverage of life in Utah Valley and the ongoing growth of the Utah Valley business scene.

“We are thrilled to have dedicated new leadership assume the management and publication of Utah Valley Magazine and Utah Valley Business Q,” said Jeanette Bennett. “We are confident the high standards that have always defined our magazines will be maintained, and I will be cheering them on in their plans for growth. I’ll always be proud to be the founding editor of these community icons.”

Read the full story at nrvutah.com or at the link in our bio.

08/14/2025

Want to run🏃‍♀️, bike🚴‍♀️, swim🏊‍♀️ and SLIDE💦? Well, the Splash Summit triathlon may be the place for you on August 23.

This triathlon welcomes all athletic levels and ensures your experience won’t be forgotten. 👏Because let’s be real, who can say they finished a triathlon with a ride down a 300-foot waterslide? 🌊🙌

Registration ends THIS SATURDAY, August 16th. Don’t miss your chance for this Utah Valley Must Do.

Sign up at trisignup.com (picture: courtesy of Karlberg Racing).