Longtime local business celebrates 25 years of serving Bossier community

BOSSIER CITY, La. (KSLA) - A longtime business in Bossier City celebrated an important milestone Monday morning: 25 years in business.

On Monday, July 25, Advance Awards & Gifts celebrated its 25th anniversary with a ribbon cutting ceremony. The Bossier Chamber of Commerce also participated in marking this achievement.

Advance Awards & Gifts specializes in trophies and award/gift customizations; they also make assorted signage.

The celebration had a large turnout. Terri and Larry Hensley own the business. They spoke to KSLA Monday about the values of their local operation. They say they’re on a first name basis with many of their customers, and are closely involved in their personal lives.

“When you do business with locals, that shows your pride in the community. Now on the flip side of that, that also means increased sales tax, increased property tax so that we can have better roads and schools and safety and everything else, so it’s all about home, which means it’s all about us being together,” said Lisa Johnson, president of the Bossier Chamber of Commerce.

“We know so many of our customers by their first name. We’re involved in their lives and their events being a locally-owned business. We hear a lot of heartwarming stories. We’ve been doing a series on our Facebook page this month telling customers’ stories, but we hear a lot of people’s pain and triumph, and we get to be a part of that. It’s a very heartwarming business,” said Terri.

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