Shawn brings a unique range of experience to Maverick Partners. In 2009, he moved to Durham to pursue a graduate degree at Duke University’s Sanford School of Public Policy.
While in graduate school, he started as a researcher, data analyst, and consultant at the Duke University Center on Globalization, Governance, and Competitiveness (CGGC). Shawn stayed at the CGGC for several years, identifying triple bottom line solutions for industries suffering from unexpected external shocks. A sample of the industries he consulted include the Louisiana Oyster Industry (post BP Oil Spill), the Nova Scotia naval shipbuilding sector, the Brazilian beef industry, the liquid natural gas and methane mitigation industry, bus rapid transit, Gulf States wildlife tourism, and the Sinaloa Mexico shrimp fishing industry. With an understanding that each industry operates with unique dynamics and needs, this experience taught Shawn how to identify criteria essential to maximizing each client’s successful real estate decisions.
Shawn is also a chef and entrepreneur with over 20 years in the restaurant industry. He currently owns three Triangle restaurants and two bars. Establishing these businesses put Shawn on both sides of several commercial real estate transactions and made him both a tenant and a landlord. This distinct insight to the unique challenges of the restaurant industry makes him a valuable asset to any client looking to buy, sell, or lease space for a food and beverage business.
It is through these multiple lenses–public policy at the macro and local level, an understanding of unique industry needs, and extensive hands-on experience in the food and beverage world–that Shawn incorporates a holistic approach to helping clients identify and secure their optimal real estate deal.
Shawn is a member of the North Carolina Restaurant and Lodging Association, Durham Chamber of Commerce, and Rotary International. He is a returned Peace Corps volunteer (RPCV Ecuador 07-09) and maintains a deep passion for international travel with his wife and three boys. When not working, he enjoys running, cycling, hiking, camping, and wakeboarding. With an insatiable thirst for knowledge, he’s an avid reader and consumer of podcasts.
Education:
A.S. Culinary Arts, Johnson & Wales University, 1998
B.S. International Business, College of Charlestons, 2005
M.S. International Development Policy, Duke University, 2011
