Clarksville, TN – Sporty’s Awards & Engraving was just announced as the Clarksville Chamber of Commerce Veteran Business of the Month.
Sporty’s has been doing business in Clarksville for 30 years, with current owner Daniel Cantey buying Sporty’s six years ago. “We do plaques, acrylic awards, glass and crystal awards, trophies, as well as medals, personalized gifts, and engravings,” Cantey said.
“We do a ton of name tags. We also do desk blocks, desk plates, and small signage. A good amount of our business is with the City of Clarksville. We also do a lot with local schools. Our location is really convenient for several of the local high schools.”
Cantey works with everyone. Local real estate agents and brokerages make up a large portion of his client base. “Realtors love their awards, so that is a big part of our business from January – March, but our busiest season coincides with the school year.”
Cantey was an Army officer for 4-1/2 years. He was stationed at Fort Stewart near Savannah, GA. He then spent the next 15 years, first in graduate school, then as a professor. He earned his PhD from Emory University in Atlanta and was working at Bethel University when, through a friend at church, he found out the business was for sale. He jumped at the opportunity.
“When people come through our door, they need something,” Cantey said. “Nobody goes to an award shop just to browse aimlessly. They need something, and they have to figure out exactly what it is that they want. We have a lot of customers who come in needing something, but are not really sure if it should be a plaque, a trophy, acrylic, or whatever. We have on display a lot of different types of items that might work, and we do all our engraving in-house.”
Building solid relationships with local businesses, schools, and churches is key for a business like Sporty’s. “We do a lot of solid, consistent work with our customers, and that has led to a lot of repeat business. That’s what keeps us going – people who come back every year.
“You get what you pay for. If you want a trophy or a plaque under $25.00, or if you want to spend $200.00 on a crystal, it’s all available. It just depends on the customer. But there is a range of prices. Even our medals can cost as much as $6.00 or $7.00 or as little as $2.25 a piece.”
Business is good. He was steadily working on name tags for a local client and medals for an upcoming 5K as he talked with me about his business.
“Almost anything you can find online, we can do for you here, Cantey said. “And I think you’ll find our prices are competitive. We’re actually cheaper than many of the online vendors.
“I am very thankful for all the people who choose to support local businesses. We’re a small business, and we depend on the relationships we’ve built with customers who have been with us and trust our work. I appreciate everyone who has given us a chance and taken time to stop in the store to see what we offer. It’s nice when people are impressed with the variety and selection that we offer. A lot of credit goes to the previous owner.
I want to say thanks to the Chamber for recognizing us, and to all those people who are willing to give local businesses a shot.”
Sporty’s Awards & Engravings is located at 2503 Highway 41-A Bypass, just behind Appleton Harley Davidson. Open Monday – Friday 10:00am – 5:00pm. Daniel can be reached at 931.552.9542 or at sportystn@bellsouth.net
