Trezelle Jenkins finds success

[Eleazar]

Sorry if this has been posted before, but it's an older article.

'Least he's successful now, right?

http://www.detnews.com/2002/business...b03-528185.htm

Chicago-style chicken a success in Ferndale
Former NFL player, ex-Ford engineer run Metro Detroit eateries

By Kathy Krolicki / Special to The Detroit News

DETROIT -- What do a former NFL football player and an ex-Ford engineer know about making fried chicken? Plenty, according to Metro Detroit carry-out connoisseurs. Harold's Chicken Shack opened its doors in Ferndale three years ago, and has quickly become a local favorite.

"I think what customers like about our product is the uniqueness. All of our chicken is cooked to order and hand-seasoned, almost like what Mom used to make," said Dora Jenkins, a former Ford engineer who owns the business with her husband, Trezelle Jenkins.

The chicken's popularity recently earned it accolades in The Detroit News' Michigan's Best Reader's Poll, where it placed third for the Best Fried Chicken, and also took first place in a Detroit News Taste Panel blind sampling of carry-out chicken.

Harold Pierce founded Harold's Chicken Shack in Chicago during the 1950s. There are currently about 50 independently owned stores in Chicago. Trezelle Jenkins, a University of Michigan grad who played football for the Kansas City Chiefs and the New Orleans Saints, grew up loving the taste of the chicken in Chicago.

"I knew the owner of the local shop by my home. When I moved to Michigan I wanted to bring a taste of Chicago with me, so I began to inquire about opening a Harold's here," said Trezelle Jenkins.

The young couple have put a lot of sweat equity into the business since opening their first store in Ferndale in 1999. Site Selection Magazine named Michigan the No. 1 state in the nation for new and expanded business facilities in 2001, and the Jenkinses became part of that statistic when they opened their second location on Grand River in Detroit last year.

Harold's Chicken Shack has proved popular with both locations, averaging about $350,000 in sales annually. Company officials are predicting more than $750,000 in combined sales for this year.

"We have found that often times when customers try our chicken, they become regulars, stopping by three or four times a week," Trezelle said.

In addition to fried chicken, Harold's also sells fish, shrimp, liver and gizzards, along with side dishes such as okra, poppers, cheese sticks, coleslaw, macaroni salad and the ever-popular homemade desserts. The stores also provide catering for businesses, churches and schools.

In building the business, the Jenkinses both agree that the biggest challenge has been developing a good staff.

"It takes about six to nine months to get a good staff up and running," Trezelle Jenkins said.

Staffing concerns won't stop the dynamic duo from expanding their business, though. They hope to open more Harold's locations down the road.

Kathy Krolicki is a Metro Detroit free-lance writer.