Bid Awarded for License Office in Willow Springs

Cynthia (Cindy) Blades is the winner of the contract from the Department of Revenue for the new license office in Willow Springs. Originally from California, Blades has lived in West Plains for 45 years. She is currently the contract agent for both the Mountain View License Office and the Houston License Office. 

Blades said her bid on the Willow Springs office was inspired by her 13 years working in license offices. She started in the license office in West Plains more than a decade ago, and after two years there, she saw that there was no further room to grow after rising to the position of manager. In 2009, she bid for the office in Houston and won. She said from that moment she knew that her goal was to one day have three offices

After Blades heard that she had won the bid for the Willow Springs office, her initial reaction was, “Oh my gosh. Okay, here we go”. She said she knew there would be a lot of work ahead, but she is looking forward to helping the Willow Springs community.

The vision for the new office is to have the most effective service possible. Blades said license offices serve not only their local community, but also the surrounding communities as well. Her offices treat their customers at the windows as the number one priority. She said each person deserves individual attention for their needs so that their situation can be handled properly and efficiently. Using this tactic, she hopes to make the Willow office profitable, not only for the benefit of the employees, but for their customers and the entire community.

The office manager position is already filled for the Willow Springs office, and his name is Christopher Colvin. Covin is young at 21 years of age, but he has been working for Blades for five years now, and she is sure that he is the right man for the job. There will be one more full time position and a part time position available initially.

The projected opening date is for Friday, April 17th. With much work still to be done, Blades explained that the actual opening date could be a few days before or the following Monday, depending on how smooth the transition process goes. The office hours will be Tuesday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. To the people of Willow Springs Blades offered, “I know that they have had rough experiences in the past, but I am ready to turn that around and serve them in the most beneficial and helpful way I can.”