Shaquala Swinton-Betts
Pair Charcuterie, Founder
SDB Realty, Managing Partner
Moody’s, Associate Director
pairpgh.com

With her hands in hospitality, real estate and finance, Shaquala Swinton-Betts is proof that one person can move intentionally across industries — and win in them all.

The busy mom and wife is the founder of PAIR Charcuterie, a creative coffee, cheese and charcuterie shop Downtown. She’s also the managing partner of SBD Realty, which focuses on transforming undervalued real estate across Pittsburgh, including converting overlooked properties into income-producing, community-enhancing assets.

In addition, she serves as the associate director of banking product strategy at Moody’s, where she guides how the venerable company builds and positions global compliance and risk solutions that address the evolving needs of financial institutions.

In 2023, Swinton-Betts, who grew up on Pittsburgh’s South Side, opened PAIR Charcuterie — where she oversees everything from customer experience to menu innovation — with a vision to reimagine food experiences Downtown. It quickly took off.

“Within a year, it became a recognizable brand rooted in quality, personalization and design,” she says.

And while the industries Swinton-Betts are involved in are very different, she approaches them in a consistent way. “Across every venture, the goal is the same: ownership, scale and impact,” she says.

As a businesswoman, she describes herself as unapologetically strategic, building across sectors with intention and discipline.

“I don’t create for vanity — I create for value,” she says. “Whether I’m building a brand, shaping a product or redeveloping a block, I move with urgency and clarity.”

A Project Pop-Up collaborator through the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership who has been recognized in a Women in Business Spotlight for The Soul Pitt, Swinton-Betts also has been featured in local publications across the region for PAIR Charcuterie’s innovative, distinctive style.

“We’re known for blending high-end hospitality with visual storytelling, and for treating food as both nourishment and art,” she says.

Up next, Swinton-Betts — who collaborates with The Greenwood Plan and other grassroots organizations focused on building economic mobility for Black Pittsburgh — is focused on designing platforms that can grow beyond her.

“PAIR Charcuterie is being positioned for franchising and licensing. SDB Realty is raising capital to expand our real estate footprint across the city,” she says. “My direction now is clear: build things that generate value whether I’m in the room or not.”