Grooming business recognized

Last week, Melissa Morrison spent her days brushing, trimming and babysitting animals at her K-9 Design Grooming and Boarding in Tucumcari.

Early this week, the state's Legislature in Santa Fe recognized her and the business she operates with her husband, Charlie, as a Star Client of the New Mexico Small Business Development Center at Mesalands Community College.

In addition to attending the 20th annual reception at La Fonda in Santa Fe for other Star Clients across the state, she was scheduled to be introduced on the floor of the Roundhouse.

Vicki Watson, director of the local Small Business Development Center, said the Star Client recognition is given to businesses that best exemplify growth and its contributions to the community.

The Mesalands office covers Quay, Union and Harding counties.

In addition to receiving bookkeeping and accounting help from the Mesalands center, Melissa Morrison said it aided her in forming a market plan so she can eventually secure a bank loan to buy the building K-9 Design occupies.

"We want to expand so we can do some training for dogs," she said as she groomed a black miniature poodle named Coco, "and have some room so people could bathe their dogs themselves, like a dog wash."

Morrison started a dog-grooming business in a trailer in 2000. Three years ago, they moved their operations to the former Villa Apartments complex along Main Street on the east side of town.

She and her husband, a former truck driver, are the two primary employees at K-9 Design. They hire another worker during the busy summer months, when they groom up to 15 dogs and board up to 20 dogs or cats each day.