OTTUMWA BUSINESS CHOSEN FOR STATEWIDE SBDC AWARD
January 21, 2022
Malwood USA chosen for Small Business of the Month Award
AMES, Iowa – America’s SBDC Iowa (SBDC) is pleased to announce that Malwood USA, of Ottumwa, is the winner of the organization’s statewide January Small Business of the Month Award.
Cherielynn Westrich, owner of Malwood USA, has an eclectic past in the automotive industry. She is most well known as a Car Builder on the reality TV show, Overhaulin’, but she’s appeared as a car builder and fabricator on multiple other reality shows. She’s also worked in some of the top garages in the Los Angelos area, and previously owned her own garage in California.
Cherielynn originally got the idea for Malwood USA’s primary product, the Hydraulic Clutch Pedal Kit, while she was attending a trade show in Australia. The product was previously only being manufactured and sold in Australia, but Cherielynn received permission from the producer, Mal Wood, to modify and sell the product in the United States.
Malwood USA sources all of their components from local manufacturers and performs light assembly to create the hydraulic clutch system.
On her experience working with the Indian Hills SBDC, Cherielynn stated, “Working with SBDC has been a life-changing experience. I’ve worked with experts in bookkeeping services to streamline my operations. My international shipping and importing products has become a much easier process. I’ve gotten great advice from the experts working with SBDC. Kelly Prickett has been instrumental in giving me guidance in marketing and communications. Kelly has advised me and helped facilitate relationships between myself and experts to help with all the aspects of my business.”
In addition to running Malwood USA, Cherielynn also speaks at schools in her area on how she turned her passion into a profession and inspiring the next generation of entrepreneurs. She is also a local legislator to help ensure that small businesses in Iowa have the right environment for success.
You can learn more about Malwood USA by visiting https://www.malwoodusa.com/about/
America’s SBDC Iowa is an outreach program of Iowa State University’s Ivy College of Business and the Office of Economic Development and Industry Relations. Iowa State University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, age, ethnicity, religion, national origin, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, sex, marital status, disability, or status as a U.S. Veteran. Inquiries regarding non-discrimination policies may be directed to the Office of Equal Opportunity, 3410 Beardshear Hall, 515 Morrill Road, Ames, Iowa 50011, Tel. 515-294-7612, Hotline 515-294-1222, email eooffice@iastate.edu.
Funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration, America’s SBDC Iowa has 15 regional assistance centers located strategically across the state. Since program inception in 1981, the SBDC has helped Iowa businesses and entrepreneurs through no fee, confidential, customized, professional business counseling and practical, affordable training workshops.
For more information on America’s SBDC Iowa programs or services, call (515) 294-2030 or visit www.iowasbdc.org, https://www.facebook.com/AmericasSBDCIowa, or @IowaSBDC on Instagram and Twitter.
