Clovis Safety Lane recognized

CLOVIS - For the last 75 years, Clovis Safety Lane has served as an auto shop in the city, easily recognized by the tall smiling bear sign that towers over Seventh Street.

In honor of its many years of service to the community as a small business, the three-person auto shop will receive the Star Business Award from the Clovis Community College Small Business Development Center.

The Star Business award is given every year and each of the 19 Small Business Development Centers across the state nominates a client.

"We look for individual businesses we feel we've helped achieve their goals that they wanted working with us," said Sandra Taylor-Sawyer, director of the Clovis SBDC. "That can be hiring more employees, starting a new business, growing the business with more capital through loans or even government grants."

Taylor-Sawyer said the SBDC selected Clovis Safety Lane this year because it has been in business in Clovis for over 70 years and the current owner Bill Vanous worked with the SBDC to go from employee to owner.

Vanous said he believes it's the shop's relationship with its customers that helped earned them the award and is looking forward to serving in Clovis for many years to come.

"I didn't even know I was in the running. They just told me. I had no clue," Vanous said. "I think it's because of our great customer service we won."

Vanous himself has worked at Clovis Safety Lane for the last 35 years, purchasing it from the previous owner in 2017 so he and his fellow employees could keep working there.

Vanous received help from the SBDC with a small business administration loan that let him keep the shop's three employees and upgrade some of the equipment.

The business will be recognized at a special banquet in Santa Fe with Lt. Gov. Howie Morales on Feb. 10 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at La Fonda on the Plaza.