Before Duwayne Shaw left Jamaica and moved to the U.S. in 1991, he was instilled with a sense of entrepreneurship and a family legacy of self employment.
He was 13 when he arrived in Yonkers and immediately got a job at a local deli.
Shaw, 29, has been working ever since.
He opened up a cleaning franchise, worked at a bank and attended college classes before opening his real estate company, Shaw Properties L.L.C., three years ago.
Now, he has ventured into the lip-smacking and fanatically devotional world of chicken wings. Neither fancy wines nor hundred-dollar entrées are appraised with greater gusto.
On Nov. 5, Shaw opened a Wing Zone franchise with a high school chum, fellow Yonkers resident Anthony Bannister. The business is at 134 North Ave. in New Rochelle.
“I”™m definitely not a person that stays in the box,” Shaw said. “I am always looking to grow, and the expansion opportunity is there with Wing Zone.”
Bannister is the frontline of customer service, greeting patrons at the door and making deliveries. He came up with the idea to open a Wing Zone after “doing a little searching online” and determining a need in the marketplace.
“New York lacks a name-brand wing place, and we love wings,” Bannister said.
Bannister said New Rochelle has a lot of development going on and is their target market: “young, exciting and fast-paced.”
With three colleges in the delivery radius ”“ Iona College, College of New Rochelle and Monroe College ”“ and the new residential Trump and Avalon buildings, the Wing Zone location seemed perfect.
“Anthony”™s always had a positive attitude,” Shaw said. “We weren”™t even best friends in high school, but we ran into each other, kept in touch and here we are.”
Wing Zone offers 25 different flavors of wings, as well as other fast-food items such as hamburgers and french fries, and desserts that include brownie bites.
The seating area inside the Wing Zone is not large; a few tables are enough because most business is done via deliveries.
Customers can place orders for delivery online by visiting the Wing Zone Web site: www.wingzone.com. Once an online order is place, a receipt prints out directly into the kitchen.
A grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony at Wing Zone will be held Jan. 8.
“We”™re just looking to grow the business, take our time, learn, understand the market and grow into different areas of Westchester,” Shaw said. “We”™re not looking to be a fly-by-night success.”
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Shaw”™s other hat
While Bannister is busy serving customers during the day, Shaw has some time to focus on his real estate business, Shaw Properties.
Shaw Properties, which has 11 agents, recently began working under the Coldwell Banker umbrella.
“They don”™t give their franchises to just anyone,” Shaw said of Coldwell Banker. “They looked at my numbers and saw that my office produces.”
Initially, Shaw became interested in real estate on the investment side. He bought his first property at age 24, then moved on to sales.
Shaw said although his sales style is easygoing and not aggressive, he learned early on the importance of making an impression on a potential customer and following up.
“”˜No”™ can be the beginning of a sales transaction,” Shaw said. “I”™ve had doors slammed on me, but two to three months later, they”™re open.”
Shaw said becoming a successful entrepreneur has a lot to do with determination “but you also have to have patience.”
Shaw has been through setbacks, and has learned to overcome them by thinking positively and “looking at everything as a learning experience.”
And, also, the knowledge that you can”™t pay enough for good advice.
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