On Oct. 20, students attended a KEY trip tour of downtown Kokomo with the Greater Kokomo Chamber of Commerce.  

KEY trips are designed to allow students the opportunity to experience professionals in their line of work, though nobody was expecting to look in the backyard of IU Kokomo. 

The trip was arranged by Communication faculty and students met with IU Kokomo alumni Courtney Butler, Chamber director, and Madi Cardenas, Chamber membership development specialist, for a downtown tour. Most of the students were attending for required communication class SPCH-C255, Social Media Strategies, taught by professor Erin Doss.  

The tour included stops through Artists Alley, Ann Marie’s Boutique, P.F. Hendricks, Moe Joes café, Larison Media, Fox’s Trail restaurant, the YMCA, and a nice stroll along the river walk.  

Business owners Drew Larison and Lori Warren were kind enough to take time out of their day to share their story of Kokomo and why they love what they do. 

Drew Larison is the owner of Larison Media and creator of popular local media outlet, The Kokomo Post. Larison shared his experience in the ever-changing media landscape as well as what he sees for the future of media buzz in Kokomo.  

IU Kokomo student Keyton Romero said she was impressed to see how social media applied to the business model of Larison Media.  

Lori Warren, owner of P.F. Hendricks, a men’s and women’s outdoor boutique, described how far she has been able to come as a small business thanks to the community. Warren believes she has created a great network that now reaches beyond Howard County, she is seeing more customers coming from out of town because there is no shop like hers in the surrounding areas. 

The passion Larison and Warren displayed for Kokomo surprised Tony Suster, a business major and student in the C255 class. He said it was refreshing to talk to people who take so much pride in what they do. 

“There are many more layers to the cake than I was aware,” Suster said. 

Another student, Josslyn Knox, found it encouraging to hear from Butler and Cardenas, who both graduated from IU Kokomo and now work for the Greater Kokomo Chamber of Commerce.