Red Cedar Lodge, Charles City, chosen for Small Business of the Month Award

Tom and Lorraine Winterink, Owners of Red Cedar Lodge

AMES, Iowa – America’s SBDC Iowa (SBDC) is pleased to announce that Red Cedar Lodge in Charles City, is the winner of the SBDC’s statewide May Business of the Month Award.

Red Cedar Lodge began eleven years ago with a walkthrough of an overgrown farm where Tom Winterink played as a child in his hometown of Charles City. After more than thirty years away from Iowa, Tom and his wife Lorraine explored the property and began dreaming. The Winterink’s moved back to Iowa and went to work. Demolition and construction began the week they moved to town, and Red Cedar Lodge became a reality. The resort offers three log-sided vacation cabins and provides a getaway destination for the area.

Over the last ten years, Red Cedar Lodge has become a highly regarded destination garnering accolades and awards from tourism organizations and destination guides. In 2015, Red Cedar Lodge was awarded Outstanding Lodging Property by Iowa Tourism. Red Cedar Lodge has succeeded in creating a destination business in rural Iowa.  As they promote Red Cedar Lodge, they also promote North Iowa communities as their very own “resort amenities.” This regional approach to attract guests sparks conversations about Clear Lake, Mason City, Nora Springs, Rockford, Northwood, and Charles City, enhancing the local economy.

Tom and Lorraine have worked with the NIACC John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center and North Iowa Area SBDC. Tom said, “The spirit of entrepreneurship in rural Iowa is strong, collaborative, and always growing. The North Iowa Area SBDC helps feed that spirit.”

For more information on Red Cedar Lodge, visit www.theredcedarloge.com or www.facebook.com/redcedarlodge.

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 https://twitter.com/IowaSBDC.

Press Contacts:
Stacy Dreyer, America’s SBDC Iowa, 515-294-5595, sdreyer@iastate.edu
Brook Boehmler, North Iowa Area SBDC, 641-422-4342, brook.boehmler@niacc.edu