After 45 years of dedicated service to the community, the Brooklyn-based Square Deal Shippers, Inc. quietly closed its doors at 4502 Church Ave., marking the end of an era.
Ruby Wood, the Vincentian-born president and CEO of Square Deal Shippers, Inc., told Caribbean Life exclusively on Monday, Jan. 12, that the trusted shipping company closed shop on Dec. 23, 2025.
“What began as a small shipping operation grew into a trusted local institution and a vital lifeline connecting the Caribbean to New York and beyond,” she said.
Founded in 1980 by Wood and her late husband, Egerton “Creech” Wood, Square Deal Shippers, Inc. was built on determination, sacrifice, and faith.
“We started with a shoestring budget, just $500 in cash and a $2,500 credit card, and operated out of a modest rented space at 925 Utica Ave. in Brooklyn,” she said. “With no proper heating, Creech and I relied on a kerosene heater to survive the harsh winter months.
“Rather than discouraging us, those difficult conditions strengthened our resolve and shaped the resilient foundation on which Square Deal Shippers was built,” Wood added. “Our mission was simple: to provide first-class, reliable shipping services to the Caribbean and the wider world.”
As the business grew, Wood said Square Deal, Inc. outgrew its original location and relocated to Church Avenue, where the shipping company would remain for decades.
Along the way, she said the company became known not only for efficiency and trustworthiness, but also for its “heart.”
Along the way, she said the company became known not only for efficiency and trustworthiness, but also for its “heart.”
“I often credited my mother’s teaching — ‘there are more blessings in giving than receiving’ — a principle that guided every aspect of how we operated,” Wood said.
In addition to serving as president of Square Deal Shippers, Inc., she said her husband was a renowned motorcycle enthusiast and cultural advocate.
Wood said he founded the SVG Cool Riders Club to promote road safety and community service, and remained deeply committed to uplifting Caribbean culture.
As proud Vincentians, Wood said they supported Caribbean arts and traditions through beauty pageants, calypsonians and musical bands, such as Touch in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Burning Flames in Antigua and Barbuda, as well as T-shirt bands from St. Vincent and the Grenadines on Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn during the massive West Indian American Day Carnival Parade.
After her husband’s fatal motorcycle accident in St. Vincent and the Grenadines in 2012, Wood said she made “the resolute decision to continue leading the company and to carry forward the legacy we had built together.”
Over the years, she said her leadership became central to Square Deal’s operational success.
As president and CEO, Wood said she emerged as a pioneering woman in the shipping industry.
“I led from the front, driving trucks, moving cargo, managing clerical work, and doing whatever was necessary to ensure shipments arrived on time,” she said. “I refused to be confined by traditional industry roles and, instead, focused on building trust, treating everyone with respect, and consistently going the extra mile to make customers feel valued.”
While raising three children and physically running the company, Wood said she also attended college in the evenings at Kingsborough Community College and Adelphi University.
“That relentless drive came from a deep personal motivation,” she said. “As I often said, ‘I was intent on showing the world that I was a force to be reckoned with.’
“My hands-on leadership challenged conventional ideas of what a CEO should look like and demonstrated that true leadership is rooted in service, not status,” she added.
Wood said Square Deal Shippers, Inc. became “an engine of opportunity within the Caribbean Diaspora, particularly for Vincentians.
“Many individuals received their first job in America through the company, supported by a work culture that encouraged growth, education, and self-improvement,” she said.
Wood said former employees went on to become engineers, doctors, educators, entrepreneurs, and business owners, including Guyanese Terrence Bourne (engineer), and Vincentians Dr. Ingrid McDowald (physician) and Dr. Ellica Matthews (sociologist).
She said others were inspired to establish their own shipping companies, including the Brooklyn-based Standard Shippers and Standard Caribbean Shippers.
More than a shipping company, Wood said Square Deal Shippers, Inc. served as “a vehicle for community service and compassion.”
She said the company’s charitable reach extended to organizations such as the Salvation Army, Catholic Charities, the Red Cross, and feeding programs for homeless and underprivileged children.
Wood said Square Deal Shippers, Inc. donated and shipped essential medical equipment and supplies to hospitals, including a refrigerated morgue to Union Island in the southern St. Vincent Grenadines, “which allowed families the dignity of time to say farewell to their loved ones.”
She said Square Deal also sponsored athletic and educational programs for the youth, and provided critical shipping and relief supplies during national emergencies in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
Wood said the impact of Square Deal Shippers, Inc. did not go unnoticed.
Wood said the impact of Square Deal Shippers, Inc. did not go unnoticed.
Over the decades, she said both the company and her received numerous honors, including: The Humanitarian Award from the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Diaspora Committee of New York (2017); The Caribbean Life Impact Award (2015); Woman of the Year Award from City Council Member Dr. Kendal B. Stewart (2009); proclamation from New York City Council (1999); and numerous recognitions from civic, cultural and professional organizations, including the SVG Nurses Association of New York, SVG Ex-Teachers Association, God’s Battalion, BBB Ministries, the SVG Consulate and St. Matthias Charities.
For more than four decades, Wood said Square Deal Shippers, Inc. stood as “a pillar of the Caribbean Diaspora in Brooklyn.
“It has been an honor and a privilege to serve the community and to be part of so many lives,” she said. “To our customers, I extend heartfelt gratitude for your trust, loyalty, and support throughout the years.
“To our co-workers and business associates, past and present, thank you for your dedication and contributions,” she added. “The relationships built and experiences shared will always be cherished.
“Above all, I give thanks to God for sustaining this journey, and to my family for their unwavering love and support,” Wood continued. “To all who stood by Square Deal Shippers through every barrel and every mile, thank you very much. God bless. “With sincere thanks and appreciation.”
