WestInn Kennels chosen for February’s Business Spotlight Award

For turning a home-based dog training business into two successful locations with almost 50 employees and a host of pet services, WestInn Kennels was selected as February’s recipient of the Business Spotlight Award from the Economic Development Roundtable of St. Charles County.

Back in 1994, Sharon West began working as a certified dog trainer to help educate the public about proper pet care. Eventually some of her students started asking her to help care for their dogs while they were on vacation. Today her successful company, WestInn Kennels, operates a “K-9 Bed ‘n Breakfast” in Dardenne Prairie and a 20,000-square-foot “Everything Under One Woof” location in Wentzville.

Each week, 25 classes are conducted by 18 trainers and the company employs about 50 people during the peak season.

WestInn Kennels provides boarding, grooming, retail pet supplies, group classes and private instruction. It is a member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT) and a Better Business Bureau Accredited Business.

“WestInn Kennels is an amazing business that has earned a solid reputation for offering first-class pet services and being very civic-minded,” said Tommie Monroe, economic development coordinator for the city of Dardenne Prairie. “We are proud of the impact WestInn Kennels has made in the lives of countless pets and pet-owners throughout the area.”

Each month a different company in St. Charles County is selected for the Business Spotlight Award by the Economic Development Roundtable (EDR) based on criteria such as entrepreneurial success, civic involvement, new investment, economic impact, and job growth. The EDR is a standing committee of the Economic Development Center (EDC) of St. Charles County with the local cities, St. Charles County Government, and the St. Charles County Department of Workforce Development.