Page 4 - Florida Sentinel 9-1-15 Edition

Local
Local Business Trailblazer Kicks Off 25th Year In Business
MICHAEL REID
The moment didn’t totally hit Michael Reid when it first occurred until a couple of minutes after a phone call.
“It was a call from a fairly young person looking for tick- ets for an upcoming event a few years ago.
“He called us to purchase tickets and afterwards I asked him how he found out about us. He said he remembered my number from growing up with my business card always being on his mother’s refriger- ator. I had mailed out busi- ness cards with magnets on the back since the late 1990s.”
Reid, President of MLR Entertainment, Incorporated, a local travel and event plan- ning firm is celebrating its 25th year in business.
Reid said attention to de- tail has helped to make MLR Entertainment one of the pre- miere travel planners and ticket brokers in the south- east, and made Reid into the go-to guy for finding tickets to some of the most coveted and sought after events in the na- tion.
“Back then, before the ad- vent of what is now the inter- net, folks had to literally hustle, whether it meant at- tending every networking and social event on both sides of the bridge, every grand open- ing for someone else’s busi- ness, joining all the professional associations you could come across just to be on a mailing list, you name it.
“You literally went to Of- fice Depot or Kinko’s at mid- night, got home and folded, sorted and stuck mailing la- bels and stamps at all hours of the night, and went to the post office.”
Reid said the emergence
of the internet and social media has made a number of things easier to reach to ex- pand a potential audience. However, Reid feels at the same time it has created a less engaged and personal society, and made it even more diffi- cult to reach certain potential customers.
“Don’t get me wrong. I love what some of technology has been able to accomplish the past couple of years, but it has also made it to the point that our society as a whole has be- come a lot more cynical and detached, and sometimes just unsociable as a whole.
“You can go into restau- rants and see entire families looking into their cell phones and not conversing with each other throughout an entire meal.”
As part of its effort to con- tinually reaching out to the crowd, MLR Entertainment has launched the “Jus’ Lookin’ Out!” website.
“The website’s inaugural event is the upcoming Florida A&M Rattlers versus the Uni- versity of South Florida Bulls football game on Saturday, September 5th at Raymond James Stadium.
“Because of this event, as well as launching the website, I plan to dust off my old mail- ing list, and go back to calling up some of his old friends and clients, and researching to see if he can return to dropping tickets off at residences again.”
By visiting the “Jus Lookin’ Out” website, Reid said every- one can take advantage of his growing roster of events and activities. You can also reach him by phone at (813) 240- 3116.
Plant City Native Opens Homeless Shelter
BY LEON B. CREWS Sentinel Staff Writer
Sheraraka Davis said she understands why a lot of people can’t understand the plight of homeless people, es- pecially if they’ve never been homeless themselves. She, on the other hand, knows all too well the challenges they face.
“At the age of 13, I was cast out of my home in Plant City, and was homeless. I soon found myself helping other homeless people as I tried to find my way.
“I’ve always been compas- sionate and wanted to help people, and I’ve worked with homeless people in Miami, Jacksonville, and locally through Metropolitan Min- istries.”
Four months ago, Ms. Davis opened a homeless shelter at 9816 North 10th Street, and she can house 10 men or women.
“I’ve taken classes and talked to a lot of people before I decided to open my own shel- ter.
“First, I took care of all the administrative things, and now I’m getting the actual
SHERARAKA DAVIS
hands-on experience. It’s turned out to be a lot tougher than I thought.”
Ms. Davis said she be- lieves God gives the toughest jobs to His strongest soldiers.
“I’m connected with a local bishop who constantly advises me, and I’m still networking to learn more about what it takes to operate a shelter.
“I actually started network- ing three years ago, and that’s when I started allowing people to live in my house. Since then, I’ve helped about 40 people,
with only three going back to the streets.”
Ms. Davis said she loves what she does, and she consid- ers the people she helps a part of her family.
“I operate a 60-day pro- gram, and if they abide by the rules and need to stay longer, I grant that if I have the space. I don’t operate with a waiting list. When people call, if I have the space, I tell them to come over.
“I have no outside funding, and I don’t charge to shelter anyone that’s homeless. Every- thing is out-of-pocket, I have no staff and sometimes the burden gets heavy.”
Ms. Davis said she recalls one client she sheltered who made a dramatic turnaround, but it wasn’t easy.
“He was combative bel- ligerent, and just downright mean. He really tested me, but that turned out to be a great experience. He apologized for everything later and actually cried. He’s really come a long way.
“Anyone with time on their hands who wants to help me help others, can contact me at (813) 735-2361.”
PAGE 4 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2015