On January 27, the Clovis Chamber of Commerce held their “Wake Up Clovis” webinar hosted by Greg Newman, CEO of the Clovis Chamber.
Their special guest was Andy Haussler, the Community and Economic Development Director for the City of Clovis. He has been working with the business community for 15 years.
Haussler’s role at the City of Clovis is overseeing all economic development efforts in the city. He enjoys working with the community and helping businesses thrive in Clovis.
“It’s been an honor and a privilege to have the role of representing all (businesses) in the area.” Haussler said.
Haussler stated how proud he is of the business community and the chamber for their work during the difficult times of last year.
Haussler continued with highlighting key moments of 2020 and provided information about the economic development of the City of Clovis.
Prior to the pandemic, Clovis had a 3.1 percent unemployment rate. However, due to the pandemic, the number of unemployed in the city grew to roughly 16 percent by May 2020.
According to Haussler, the unemployment numbers in the city dropped late in the year to around 5 percent just before December’s regional shutdown.
Haussler also mentioned that although consumer spending has been erratic, there has been an incredible number of new businesses starting up. He also reported several new businesses coming to Clovis as long others that are expanding.
The city growth has helped add more commerce in the city. Haussler said Starbucks decided to open a new location in the Loma Vista community due to the amount of development in the area.
He mentioned that one of the industries that was hit hardest was tourism. Haussler believes events which bring tourism to Clovis such as Big Hat Days and the Clovis Rodeo will be back sooner than expected.
Another topic discussed was future opportunities for business in new developing areas. Haussler mentioned the Loma Vista development has recently been approved to have large commercial space. Areas along Clovis Avenue and Old Town Clovis are always great for any business.
For more information on business resources in Clovis, Haussler recommends visiting clovis4business.com.
Haussler was questioned about the city’s stance on policing the state mandates.
He said the city believes the mandates are best enforced by the state and county, as they have better resources. The city is currently focused on educating businesses on mandates and supporting them as possible.
Another question was about the cannabis industry and if Clovis has any plans of following Fresno in allowing dispensaries.
Haussler said the city council has taken a strong stance on not allowing any cannabis dispensaries in Clovis and does not see that changing any time soon.
Haussler closed his presentation by speaking about what makes Clovis a strong community.
“What makes Clovis strong is people having a relationship with each other. Kids playing in little leagues together, church, all those things coming together so that people can have a true community,” Haussler said. “We are here to serve you, your success is our success.”
The next Wake Up Clovis event is scheduled for February 10 and the special guest will be Fresno County Supervisor Nathan Magsig.