Heroes in Business - DeWayne Lewis, former pro football player Jacksonville Jaguars, Chicago Bears, NE Patriots, CEO Top Onyx Tile

Episode Date: June 3, 2021

One secret to being successful from NFL to Tile. DeWayne Lewis, former pro football player Jacksonville Jaguars, Chicago Bears, NE Patriots, CEO Top Onyx Tile is interviewed by David Cogan founder of Eliances and host of The Eliances Heroes Radio Show broadcast on am and fm radio, syndicated online, and more than 40 podcast channels.

Up in the sky, look, it's captivating, it's energizing, it's Alliances Heroes. Alliances is the destination for entrepreneurs, investors, CEOs, inventors, leaders, celebrities, and startups, where our heroes in business align. Now, here's your host flying in, David Kogan, founder of Eliance's. That's right. And I just love flying into work because it's all about interviewing, creating and hearing from amazing people that are making a difference. They're making a difference in their community. They're helping others and they're passionate about their work. We always can learn lessons from them. And I'm excited too. And by the way, before we introduce our next hero today too, thanks for the

feedback we continue to have when I had the founder of Paychex on. So make sure you go to alliances.com. That's E-L-I-A-N-C-E-S.com. The only place where entrepreneurs align. And we have with us this morning, Dwayne Lewis, former pro football player. That's right. With the Jacksonville Jaguars, Chicago Bears, my home team, New England Patriots. Also, he is the CEO and founder of Top Onyx. That's right. Top Onyx. And where can you find him?

Well, you can go to Yelp and you do a search under Top Onyx and you'll see the incredible things. You'll be able to contact him directly through that. And with that, welcome to the show, Dwayne. Glad to have me. Glad to have me. We're happy that you're here. So let's first start off. You're a pro athlete. I've seen your things that you've done.

Talk to us about what it was like playing football. Well, I started at an early age. When most kids are playing with toys, I was picking up a football, and I was outside until the lights came on. So starting at an early age gave me the upside and opportunity to really hone in and create a craft for myself. And so it transpired over into the second phase of my life, which is now being an entrepreneur, investor and business owner. Right. And you certainly have made quite a quite a transition and stuff.

I mean, you know, from being an athlete to now dedicating and being a business person and starting a company and being extremely successful. And in fact, share with us really, because things have evolved so much with your company, Top Onyx. Talk to us maybe a little bit briefly about the early stages and then how and why you decided to expand. Well, David, it goes back to the same thing as my previous career. Well, David, it goes back to the same thing as my previous career. It started very young, and the amount of work and effort that you put into something will blossom that seed. And that's what I did in four years with Top Honest. It started out as just a manufacturing countertops, and we are now in the works of completing over 13 restaurants in the airport between Utah and Arizona. And that's from, you know, top to bottom in the interior. So I've had the opportunity to not only learn and make some mistakes,

but also take that adversity and turn it to a positive. There's always going to be failures in anything you do in life. It's just a matter of how persistent and how passionate you are about that, that, that thing that you're doing. So how do you, I mean, we're talking, you know, this is major work that you're doing. Yeah, it is. I mean, I was scared. When I won the job to do the first three restaurants we did in the airport, Sky Harbor, I was, I was, I was really scared to be honest.

And I channeled that fear into knowing that I have to be successful. There's no other option. And so we came out successful and they were completed on time and the ball just started rolling from there. And Dwayne, for those that haven't done the work that you've done, just like again, you know, being playing, you know, pro football for a number of teams in that, may not know the work that goes involved and that behind the scenes. So why don't you just share, because I know this, but I want you to share and take the thunder. How many hours, how much time are you at

the project with, for example, the restaurants that you've been building? Well, I know you've heard this plenty of times. There's not enough time in a day. You know, there's many days that I wish that I could buy more time. I wish there was more than 24 hours. I would get so much more done. It's countless hours. We're talking months. I no longer have hours. I schedule my life around months now because I know sometimes I'm going to be on a project for several months and I have to put in those 18-hour days and sit at that project all day without eating or having lunch, sometimes to make sure that everything turns out

as perfect as it can but at the end you get the reward right and and those are the big checks and uh the satisfaction just not the checks but also the satisfaction that i know that once i complete a project someone else is going to enjoy what i've built. And it's going to be utilized to help provide a job or a place for someone to eat. And there's no better feeling than walking past an institutional structure that I feel or been a part of. Or even cooler, eating there. That's just got to be real. You're eating at one of the restaurants that you've built. And it's like, yeah, I put this here. I put that there. I put everything here, the floor. I mean, the whole thing.

Like talk to us about the maybe the first restaurant you completed and that kind of surreal moment, which which is probably similar to, again, playing pro football where you've trained your entire childhood, probably from the time you could walk to being able to play. Talk to us about that. Yeah, it took me away from my time that I spent with you guys over at Alliance. It took away the time I was able to spend with friends and family because of the amount of dedication that was required. It's such an early company. Again, we've only been around going on five years.

The type of projects we've been able to accomplish are for companies that have been here 10 plus years, 15 plus years, with the amount of administration work, field work, funding, things of that nature. So for me to achieve that, it was like it was like the super bowl um that i had never been in um and so it was it was finally my super bowl for that moment and it becomes addictive uh it becomes just walking past those restaurants seeing all those employees getting interviewed to start producing another product for another group of people was just immense of you know the feelings that runs through your body just knowing that you've been able to create something for someone else to enjoy um it just stems back to that man and that's what's my driving force to keep going every day well you know duane what i enjoy most is talking to amazing people like you

because you're listening and watching me, David Kogan, host of the alliances hero show. And we have with us, Dwayne Lewis, former pro football player, Jacksonville Jaguars, Chicago bears. He is the CEO of top Onyx. You can find them on Yelp. And we're going to talk a little bit more about the other projects and things that he can do. So you need building needs. You're going to contact him. You're going do so you need building needs you're going to contact him you're going to go to yelp and you're going to look up top onyx and that's o-n-y-x and we'll also to have it on our website at alliances.com e-l-i-a-n-c-e-s.com the only place

where entrepreneurs align in matter of fact dwayne is part of the Alliances community, highly respected within the community. In fact, Dwayne, may you share with our audience and listeners and viewers out there of really kind of what it's been like for you to be part of the community, the Alliances community. Such a vibrant, glowing space like no other. It's not your typical, it is not a networking group. It is a group of very profound entrepreneurs, people that have many, many achievements in their careers, in their lives. And these individuals are those that want to help see their peers alongside of them succeed as well, no matter what venture you're in. and it's a great group. You know, I've been a part of that group for going on to over to almost two years now plus. And it's been something that I just I will always hold on to.

I've met some very exciting and amazing people. Obviously, David is awesome. And his peers and those that are involved have always been amazing. So it's been a life changing experience for me. It's helped grow my business. It's taught me and showed me new things just being around this group. So which is more challenging would you say? Pro football or managing projects and building new things that have not been built before from complete scratch? Easy, easy.

Managing adults, facing adults is much, much harder. In fact, talk to us about some of the projects too. Some of the, some of the, so our listeners, viewers out there, when would they contact you? Like what type of, is there a sweet spot that you work on? When should they contact you? Well, they can contact us anytime. We are a type of company, we're a family-oriented business.

No project is too small. No project is too large mentality. You know, we just acquired Tesla as our newest big client, along with Amazon. We've done two of Amazon's facilities here in the local area. Tesla, we're doing five of their facilities from here to Santa Fe, New Mexico. We're in Utah right now doing nine restaurants in Salt Lake City Airport, the new division they're building. So, and we do residential homes. We do all the way down to a very small project of maybe someone has two chip tiles in their living room floor. Top on us will be there and get it done in a day.

We do that immensely all the time. As busy as we are, we've always got guys lined up and with me being at the helm of everything i can you know structure um to get the small projects in there and get those done as well so and duane how did you learn you know because you you have again have never done restaurants now you're in high demand for restaurants um with the various things so what is the secret the way in which you've been able to learn it, how? The secret is passion and not to fail. That is truly the secret. I think with those two elements, you can do anything in life. If you have passion for it and you do not want to fail, you're going to do your research. You're going to find the people that know how to do the work.

You're going to find the individuals that have the knowledge or skills in whatever it is you're going to do your research, you're going to find the people that know how to do the work, you're going to find the individuals that have the knowledge or skills in whatever it is you're trying to do or achieve. And once you hold on to that, the sky's the limit. And that's what's gotten me to where I am today. I didn't go to school for construction management, but once I created that passion inside, I started learning and started picking up books and started taking tests and getting licensed and doing all the necessary things I needed to do to become a professional. And it's no different than when I picked up a football. I knew when I picked up the football at seven years old, I wanted to outrun everybody I encountered. And it took me that far in life. And Dwayne, I know that you're very involved too.

You've done Big Brothers, Big Sisters, Boy Scouts of America, and very involved with the youth. So I would also like for you to share too out there some secrets perhaps that parents can help instill maybe in their children to help keep them on the right path with all of the various things that are out there in the world to grow up, be successful, be determined, have the passion like you have. What can others, what can parents or that do to help instill the passion? I think the big thing is for me, what worked for me was disconnecting and just going outside and seeing what is actually in front of you. I think if we focus too much on what's on the internet or what we can tap into through

a phone, it kind of desensitizes you to what is reality. I think the kids can disconnect or the parents can take some time with their children and kind of take them out into the natural environment and kind of spend time talking about whatever goals you have, but being in a natural state will help stick into the mind on what it really takes to achieve that that's and as an adult I do that today I don't get very much time to do it but it's part of my meditation just to disconnect but also stay connected to all that I feel are important in my circle, like Alliance and small individuals. So that's a big part of my what we call meditation or time away from what we do on a daily basis.

Well, I got to tell you, phenomenal, Dwayne. You have been growing your company by leaps and bounds, creating beautiful spaces for your clients and proud of the work that you do. That's a hero. Dwayne Lewis, former pro football player, Chicago Beard, Jacksonville Jaguars, the Alliance's member and founder and CEO of Top Onyx. So make sure you go to Yelp and look up Top Onyx. That's O-N-Y-X. This has been David Kogan with the Alliance's Hero Show.