Cofounders Matt Chverchko and Ethan Wendle are celebrating their college-project-turned-award-winning-business, Phillipsburg-based DiamondBack Truck Covers.

Wendle credits part of the company’s success to the organizations in Centre County that helped get things started.  

“DiamondBack has been fortunate over our 16-year history to have received help from many small business organizations, including Ben Franklin Technology Partners, the MVEDP in Philipsburg, PA, the IMC, and the SBA.  This award recognizes not only the hard work done by our founding team and employees, but also the impact these organizations can have to help jump start business.  We are honored to receive this award on behalf of our company, our employees, and the many men and women who have partnered with us along the way,” he says.

What’s Next for Diamondback

Diamondback thrives off of its culture. The company's core values are: 

• love what you do and those around you
• be reliable and honest
• make a difference
• work smarter
• be adventurous and creative
• never quit until the job is done 

This company-wide mindset has propelled Diamondback to a national company with a devoted and loyal customer base.  

So, what comes next for this local success story?  

“The Mission of DiamondBack is to build one of the best manufacturing companies in PA, one that employees love to work for, and customers love to buy from,” Wendle says. He believes that in order to execute these goals, the company must maintain a mode of constant improvement on their products, their brand, their service, and their employee experience.   

Wendle continues, “We are currently a 75-member company. Our annual growth over the past 5 years has averaged at about 30%.  We anticipate doubling in size over the next few years as our products continue to reach new customers around the country.  In order to achieve this, we’ll have to drastically increase our workforce by finding great people who are looking to not only make a living, but also to make a difference in the area.”  

Diamondback’s growth, he says, will come from further developing their products and creating a company environment that is conducive to innovation and excellence with employees who share these values. 

Wendle has some advice for other aspiring entrepreneurs. First and foremost, ask for advice!   

“There is so much advice needed when you're just starting out on this journey, and that would be one things I would tell anyone who aspires to this path: seek advice and mentorship from others who have gone before you,” Wendle says. In his experience, he says, a good mentor can make all the difference by offering perspective and guidance, which can give you major advantages. 

Secondly, he believes having pure motivations can help you succeed.   

“The main thing I would tell someone is to be very clear about your WHY?  Why do you want to start a business?  Why is this idea worth giving your life to, for years and years? Why will it impact the world in a positive way?  If the answer is ‘to make a ton of money,’ I would say, get a job.  Most entrepreneurs take 25 years to reach economic parity with their college roommates who go out and get jobs. This journey is about far more than money and if you don't have strong reason for existing, you probably will go out of business,” Wendle says.  

To build a successful business from the ground up, he sums it up like this: “Know your WHY, know your values, hire people who share them, and have a desire to benefit the world around you.”