Biz Buzz: Student helps customers remember loved ones

Do you want to know what’s happening in the eastern Idaho business scene? We’ve got you covered. Here is a rundown of this week’s business news across the valley.

BIZ BRIEF

REXBURG

Art business sketches portraits of people’s loves ones

REXBURG – When Mandalyn Hassard’s aunt unexpectedly passed away in January, she wanted to honor her in a unique way.

The 23-year-old Brigham Young University-Idaho student has loved art since she was a kid and has been drawing for many years. She and her aunt were close, and Hassard had many special memories with her. Using a selfie her aunt had recently taken, she stayed up all night recreating the photo in a pencil sketch and displayed it at her funeral.

“It was really healing and comforting to do a drawing of her and to see people’s reaction. I had people tell me they feel like I captured her true essence,” Hassard tells EastIdahoNews.com.

Hassard began to wonder if this was a marketable service she could make available to other people, and that’s how Genesis Elements was born. The online business is primarily targeted to people who’ve lost a loved one, but Hassard will also sketch photos for anyone who requests it.

Since the business was formed in January, she’s sketched five different images. It takes about a day, on average, to complete each project, and Hassard says it’s a rewarding experience.

“Almost every time I’ve had photos sent to me, the lighting (in the photo) hasn’t been super great. When drawing it, I can add the light in their eyes (and enhance the photo in other ways). It creates a higher contrast (between the actual photo and the drawing) and people are drawn to it,” Hassard says. “It’s almost like the photo comes to life.”

So far, Hassard has only done sketches for friends or family members but she says each project is like a window into the person’s soul, and she learns something about the person every time.

Originally from Highland, Utah, Hassard is pursuing a degree in family consumer science education and is slated to graduate in the fall of 2024. Her long-term plan is to pursue a teaching career while continuing to acquire new clients for Genesis Elements on the side.

“I’ve always loved art, and I’ve wanted to make a space for that in my life. My hope is that I’ll continue to get clients who want me to create personalized art for them. Hopefully, I can go from there and continue to improve,” she says.

To request a sketch or learn more, reach out to Hassard on Facebook or Instagram. You can also call her directly at (801) 885-5643.

BIZ BITS

Excavation company celebrating 2 years of business in eastern Idaho

IDAHO FALLS – Joshua Dybka was on a crane high atop a San Diego skyrise when he knew his life needed to change.

It was April 2018, and he was making $250,000 a year. It was his 75th hour of work that week and his wife sent him a text with a video of his daughter’s ballet recital.

“My heart broke in that moment,” Dybka tells EastIdahoNews.com. “I knew I’d be doing the same thing 10 years from now (having missed every little league game and ballet recital). I needed to walk away and be a dad.”

So, he walked away from a lucrative position and eventually wound up in Idaho Falls. He opened D.I.R.T. Excavation in 2020, which has taken off. After two years, Dybka is living the best of both worlds running a successful business and raising his family in a community he fell in love with when he first drove through on a family vacation in 2018.

A more in-depth story will be posted soon at EastIdahoNews.com.

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