The Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association (“FRLA”) has again partnered with Overland, KS-based Strategic Value Media, a leading nationwide provider of print and digital media solutions to the national, state and local trade and membership associations, to produce the 2022 edition of the FRLA Buyers’ Guide, the premier resource of relevant products and services for residential restaurant industry professionals. This will be the 8th year that the Guide will be produced.

A representative from Strategic Value Media may contact you by email or phone to inquire if you want to enhance your listing in the Buyer’s Guide. Please know this is a legitimate call and that SVM is partnering with FRLA to provide our members this resource for advertising your products and services.
Like the 2021 version, the 2022 edition of the Buyers’ Guide will feature updated and expanded company and product listings, in addition to other valuable information relating to the restaurant industry. The Buyers’ Guide provides users with an efficient way to browse for goods and services and offers restaurant, hotel and casino suppliers exceptional visibility by showcasing their products and services to a targeted, industry-specific buyer group.

The Buyers’ Guide is accessible through the FRLA website at frla.org and will be updated soon with new advertisements and information. To view the current Buyers’ Guide – click here. We encourage you to take advantage of this exceptional opportunity to highlight your products and services in the Buyers’ Guide.

To learn more about advertising your products or services in the Buyers’ Guide, please email frla-advertise@svmmedia.com.

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Highlighting Asian American and Pacific Islander Contributions in Florida’s Hospitality Industry

Since the 1970’s, there have been efforts to celebrate the rich cultural contributions brought to America by those of Asian and Pacific Islander heritage. In recent decades, May has been designated Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month (AAPI).

Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have contributed greatly to the American community through various industries including the arts, science, business, and more. Here in Florida, we could not be more proud of the numerous contributions of individuals from Asian American and Pacific Islander backgrounds to make Florida’s hospitality industry the strongest in the nation. In honor of AAPI heritage month, we would like to highlight just a few amazing individuals and their outstanding achievements to keep us Hospitality Strong.

Dennis Chan, Chef and Owner, Blue Bamboo, Jacksonville, Florida

Dennis Chan grew up in the hospitality industry and his family’s record of restaurant ownership dates back more than 80 years. His dream was to follow in the family business, and, after graduating from the Culinary Institute of America, he opened his own restaurant. His leadership in his community and in the local and statewide hospitality industry is commendable. During the struggles of the COVID-19 pandemic, he was able to not only survive but grow and thrive. He was recently announced as the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Small Business Person of the Year for the entire state of Florida. We cheer him on as he travels to DC next week for his honors and nomination for the national award. Thank you, Dennis, for your passion, your service to your community, and your leadership on the FRLA Northeast Florida Chapter Board!

Sheldon Suga, VP & Managing Director, Hawks Cay Resort, Duck Key

Sheldon Suga is an outstanding and longtime leader in the hospitality industry – not just in Florida – but across the world. His background extends to hospitality executive positions in Canada, Puerto Rico, Japan, and more! Sheldon is known for his kindness and business leadership and has served on his local FRLA chapter boards. Most recently, Sheldon served as FRLA’s Chairman of the Board in the longest tenure and throughout the worst crisis to face the hospitality industry in recent history – the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the crisis he faced in his day-to-day position managing a top national resort in The Keys, he was leading efforts as Chairman of our statewide Board to strategize on best practices and policies to help alleviate the struggles that were paralyzing our industry. His involvement in advocacy for Florida hotels and restaurants was key to our accomplishing so much during the 2021 Legislative Session and helped our industry begin its long road to recovery. Thank you, Sheldon, for your tenacity, kindness, and leading us back into doing what we do best – providing the best customer service for our guests to keep them coming back!

Olivia Hoblit, Regional Manager, Innisfree Hotels, Amelia Island and Current Chairwoman of the FRLA Board of Directors

Olivia Hoblit is incredibly special to Florida’s hospitality industry and FRLA. She currently serves as Chairwoman of the Board for FRLA. We recently highlighted Olivia’s thoughts on leadership during Women’s History Month. Coming to the U.S. from the Philippines as a young teenager, she was determined to succeed in a new country. And she surely has! One of Olivia’s most well-known principles is investing in the people around her, those who serve underneath her, and locating those individuals with talent to mentor them. She gained so much from being mentored and invested in, so her passion is paying that forward. She believes strongly in the high school programs that introduce students into hospitality – HTMP for hotels and ProStart for culinary. Knowing there are leaders out there like Olivia, with her focus on the people and the future of the industry helps us to secure that future as we face historic labor challenges. Her mantra is to “always make things” better, and with Olivia leading, we know she will continue to do just that.

Thank you to Dennis, Sheldon, and Olivia for speaking with us and letting us feature you this month!

To learn more about Asian American and Pacific Islander Month, click here.

Rozeta Mahboubi, FRLA Broward Regional Director

Finding Peace and Life Through Travel

Throughout a life filled with change and progress, a steadfast love of travel always comforted and centered Rozeta Mahboubi, FRLA Regional Director for Broward. Originally from Iran, her family first came to the United States to find better medical care for her sister. While here, her parents continued to do what they always did – travel. They traveled around the U.S. to find where they would call home for a few years, but when the Iranian Revolution began, they knew they could not return and were in America to stay.

With a stop in Maryland, they later settled in Denver. “It had all 4 seasons and beautiful mountains. It was very similar to Tehran,” Rozeta says. They had found their home base. And while Colorado was home, they never stopped traveling. It was something Rozeta developed a passion for early in life. Whenever big decisions in life arose, Rozeta took to travel – to the skies and to boats (Did you know that she originally wanted to be a Cruise Ship director?). Immersing herself in travel and other cultures helped her find her way through the next big decision she had to make.

Her passion led her to study Hospitality Meeting & Travel Administration in college after switching from computer science. She wrote her thesis on cruise lines in her quest to become a Cruise Ship Director. After spending time on a ship in Norway running events and catering for charter cruises, she visited her parents who had then settled in San Diego and began working for the San Diego Princess Resort. While there, she met someone, fell in love, and ended up moving to Las Vegas, where she was surrounded by all of the great hotels and developers. She worked at The Luxor Hotel & Casino in sales and marketing for a period, but eventually took a job with a German Tour Operator who hired her to put together tour packages across North America for German-speaking travelers. As it turns out, Florida is an incredibly popular place for German travelers, and she wanted to learn all she could about the state, so she relocated here in the late 1990’s.

She spent time in Naples opening The Inn on Fifth and then settled in Southeast Florida, worked for the Hilton Fort Lauderdale Airport, followed by seven years as the Tourism Director leading the Hollywood Office of Tourism. During that time and under her administration, they opened the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino and The Diplomat Resort & Spa. She loved her time in destination marketing and had amazing experiences like traveling with Governor Jeb Bush and Enterprise Florida to South America and Europe to promote tourism for the City of Hollywood.

When Rozeta felt she needed a change, you guessed it. She went traveling – this time to Thailand, Indonesia, and Europe – a very “Eat, Pray, Love” moment, she tells us. She wrote a lot during her travels, a prized possession being her journals which she hopes to turn into a book one day. She eventually settled back in South Florida, initially as the President/CEO of Martin County Convention & Visitors Bureau and ultimately consulting for various travel and tourism partners before she found her way to FRLA in 2019. She loves advocating on behalf of her members and bringing her diverse background across destination marketing, hospitality, and events to her work as Regional Director. She credits her happiness in her current role to the people she works with. Not long after joining FRLA, the COVID-19 pandemic struck and then her father passed away. With so much going on, she was comforted by the bond she shares with her members and board who helped her through such a tough loss.

Throughout her diverse career, she faced some challenges, feeling that she lost out on certain positions because she was female, but she used those experiences to improve and grow. Rozeta is thrilled to see more women GMs and in other leadership positions, something she think certainly deserves celebrating this Women’s History Month.

Her desire is to share her experiences and help inspire younger women in her community and in this industry. She wants to contribute to helping build future leaders and advises women coming up in hospitality to follow their strengths and passion and go for their dreams. “Don’t be afraid to break barriers,” says Rozeta. She sure wasn’t!

Closing Question: Is there a woman from history who you admire? Why?

“My grandmother. She was raised in very small town in Iran where religion and culture limited her capabilities, but in her own way, she broke the mold. Women weren’t supposed to do things in Iran like speak up or earn respect, but she was a strong woman – a true matriarch. Despite the rules and expectations, she was highly educated and self-taught, which was rare in a place where no schooling or reading was allowed. She would tell me, ‘I have read more books than the hairs on my head.’ She was always a student, reading about history, geography, politics, you name it. She had to hide her books and her writing journals and was placed into an arranged marriage at an early age. She had everything against her, but she overcame it, eventually raised her family, and has left us a legacy of strength and determination. Whenever I was faced with a decision, she would encourage me and say, ‘You decide your life. You find your path.’ She was a trailblazer for sure.”