Lemoore downtown businessman Tim Welsh hopes he can make a difference in community

By Ed Martin, Editor
Tim Welsh (center with skateboard) celebrates winners of a skateboard competition held to benefit foster kids. Winners include Jonathan Contreras, Mark Urbieta, Ethan Ebrahim, fellow owner Tim Taylor and judges Tylorr Rodriguez and John Silva.
Tim Welsh (center with skateboard) celebrates winners of a skateboard competition held to benefit foster kids. Winners include Jonathan Contreras, Mark Urbieta, Ethan Ebrahim, fellow owner Tim Taylor and judges Tylorr Rodriguez and John Silva.

A former Lemoore High School wrestler turned entrepreneur is Lemoore’s latest downtown businessman to make a difference. Like any other business owner, 33-year-old Tim Welsh wants to make a living, but he also intends to use his business prowess to help the community.

To that end, the Lemoore owner of Tactical Tattoo Company and Flowline Sports – a surf and skate shop located in downtown Lemoore – is giving back to the community. And his latest rendition of community service is ensuring that about 200 Kings County foster children get free skateboards.

On Saturday, the affable Welsh, a standout wrestler with the Tigers and a disciple of former Tiger Coach Kent Olson, sponsored a skateboard competition at Lemoore’s downtown skateboard park to raise funds for his charity project: Skateboard Smiles. It’s his effort to give back to the community, and in turn, provide skateboards to a bunch of Kings County foster children.

“Skateboard Smiles is a charity project that I own. It’s my goal to give back to the community,” the personable Welsh told The Leader. “I went to CPS (Child Protective Services), and they turned me on to the Kings County Foster Agency.”

He learned that there are many foster children needing services – and maybe even a skateboard or two. He plans to purchase the boards through his business. “I hope we can get them as a wholesale deal.”

He decided to try to fund the purchase of about 200 Pro-Model Skateboards. “We need to raise $13,000. We want to be able to give them to (the foster kids) for free,” said Welsh.

His business, Tactical Tattoos, is located in downtown Lemoore, at 350 West D Street where he has been in business since 2016. “I’m going on three years now, and I just signed a new three-year lease,” he boasted. “I think the best thing about it (his business) is getting to meet a lot of different people. My shop is mainly geared to law enforcement and the military. I get to meet a lot of military and law enforcement people.”

Welsh also is a member of the Lemoore Downtown Merchants Advisory Board.

“I guess the best part of my business is being able to give back to the community. I remember as a kid and coming to the Pizza Festival, and there were all these great things going on. Giving back to my downtown is what it’s all about,” said Welsh.

He’s also quite the artist. At the Lemoore Chamber of Commerce’s request, he recently offered his services, free of charge to many downtown stores, decorating windows with holiday art.

His skateboard business has only benefitted from the nearby Surf Ranch. He sells skateboards called “Ham boards,” as a representative of a Huntington Beach firm that developed the surfing-style skateboard. “I’m a representative of the company, and I’m able to bring these boards to Lemoore.”

He said Surf Ranch has a skateboard ramp in the shape of a pool, and surfers often take advantage of it to warm up for their next ride. “Surfers sometimes ride a skateboard to keep warm. It sounds crazy,” said Welsh.

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