Chamber president celebrated

CLOVIS - The cancellation of the annual Clovis/Curry County Chamber of Commerce banquet due to COVID-19 restrictions meant outgoing Chamber President Greg Southard couldn't go to a celebration of his year at the helm.

So chamber officials brought the celebration to him, surprising Southard with a convoy at his workplace Friday morning to mark a president's term unlike any other.

Chamber Executive Director Ernie Kos welcomed Southard to the rank of "PP" - past president, but noted she would probably call him the "pandemic president" instead.

"I hope you always think of me in that way," Southard said with a laugh.

Kos was joined by about a dozen other chamber representatives, including new Chamber President Laura Leal, at the Calibers Indoor Shooting Range that Southard manages.

He was presented with the standard logo-embossed guitar, a sculpture modeled after the chamber ambassador pin and various foods and gift certificates.

Southard said he appreciated the surprise gathering, planned by chamber officials weeks in advance and finalized that morning with a phone call to staff to confirm Southard was working.

Regarding his year at the post, Southard said he felt bad he wasn't able to do more for businesses, but was told his work to help businesses stay afloat was noteworthy in and of itself.

"I have a lot of praise for you," Leal said, "and how you got us through this last year."

The unofficial ceremony was mostly punctuated by laughs, including a reference to ambitious plans Southard had before the pandemic stepped in and a joking barb from past president Derek Cockrell.

"I want to say none of this garbage happened when I was president," Cockrell said, facetiously characterizing the pandemic as a product of Southard's leadership. "I told Thom (Moore) the same thing about the music festival."

The event did double as an announcement for Southard, who said he has found a buyer for his Leslie Candy Company. He wasn't sure whether the business would stay in Clovis or relocate, but said he retains the option to open a retail store in either scenario.

Southard, who was born in Artesia before moving to Clovis when he was 11, recalled his early Clovis memories, including the underpass that preceded the Prince Street overpass and the train rides he would take to visit relatives. Some of the community love could be found in the shooting sports complex, including a Clovis Wildcats flag hanging from the wall with "LESLIE CANDY COMPANY" written on the edge in permanent marker.

"There's something special about this place that can't be explained," Southard said. "We're just this little dusty spot in the Plains."