By Nelson A. King
Vincentian-born Ruby Wood,
nee Small, who succeeded her
compatriot late husband, Egerton
“Creech” Wood, is the untiring
owner of the Brooklyn-headquartered,
popular Square Deal
Shippers & Movers, Inc.
Mrs. Wood’s success story is
typical of many immigrants in
the United States.
“When I came to this country,
I came undocumented, and we
started this business while being
undocumented,” she told Caribbean
Life on Tuesday, disclosing
that she and her husband got
their first job in the shipping
business at the defunct, Brooklyn
based BWI Shippers, owned
by Vincentian Carl Stephens,
before branching out on their
own.
“We started this business with
$500 and a $2,500-master card,”
Mrs. Wood said. “We rented a
place without heat on Utica Avenue
(Brooklyn), with a kerosene
heater, on 925 Utica Ave., until we
got an electric heater.
“So, I met a lot of kind people
along the way, and I promised to
Caribbean L 40 ife, MAY 7-13, 2021
pay back,” she added. “I’m paying
forward; that’s all I’m doing.”
Mrs. Wood said, over the years,
Square Deal Shippers & Movers,
Inc. hired a significant number
of Vincentians.
“A lot of Vincentians who came
to America got their first job at
Square Deal Shippers, and a lot
of them are now professionals,”
she said. “We encourage people;
don’t just stay here – improve
yourself.
“I’m a Vincentian by birth, a
naturalized American, but my
heart, my thoughts and prayers
right now are with everyone in
St. Vincent and the Grenadines,
because that foundation I got in
St. Vincent and the Grenadines is
what makes me who I am today,”
added Mrs. Wood, ruminating
about the ongoing volcanic
eruptions, and recent landslides
and damage to properties in her
native land.
Mrs. Wood is one of seven
brothers and sisters born to Virginia
Maule and Cyril Small.
The family lived in a small
village called Mount Pleasant,
positioned between the villages
of Stubbs and Argyle along the
eastern coast of mainland St.
Vincent.
Mrs. Wood attended Stubbs
and Calder elementary schools
before completing her secondary
education at St. Joseph’s Convent
in Kingstown, the Vincentian
capital.
In growing up, Mrs. Wood said
her mother often repeated words
that would guide her through
life: “There are more blessings in
giving than receiving.”
In 1975, Mrs. Wood migrated
to New York to join her husband,
who died in March 2012 in a
motorcycle accident in St. Vincent
and the Grenadines.
Shortly after migrating, Mrs.
Wood said she developed an
interest in the shipping business,
establishing in 1981, with her
husband, Square Deal Shippers
and Movers, Inc.
She said their goal was “to
offer first-class shipping services
to the Caribbean and the rest of
the world,” stating that the business
took off and that, within just
a few years, it outgrew its original
location on Utica Avenue.
Ruby Wood, owner of Square Deal Shippers & Movers,
Inc. Sheri Wood
Hence, Mrs. Wood said they
were forced to open a head office
and warehouse on Church Avenue
in Brooklyn.
The business still operates
from the Church Avenue location
to this day, Mrs. Wood said.
Over the years, Mrs. Wood
firmly established herself as a
force to be reckoned with, becoming
the first female in the shipping
industry.
She said she worked “passionately
and fearlessly, moving
barrels and driving large trucks
– whatever it took to ensure shipments
reached their destinations,
both far and wide, just in time.”
As Square Deal Shippers and
Movers, Inc. grew and prospered,
Mrs. Wood also made great strides
in other areas of her life.
She attended college in the
evenings, earning an associate’s
degree at Kingsborough Community
College.
She also had three children –
two daughters, Joanne and Sheri,
and a son, Egerton, Jr. – whom
she raised with care and love.
Mrs. Wood said her mission
is to give back to the communities
that have meant “so much”
to her.
Ruby Wood, the untiring owner
of Square Deal Shippers & Movers
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