Meet Charlie Leavitt | Executive Director

We had the good fortune of connecting with Charlie Leavitt and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Charlie, what role has risk played in your life or career?

I have lived a life of taking risks. Doing new things or helping others do a new thing has always been fulfilling. Making a choice to work full-time in a non-profit company was the biggest risk I have ever taken and one of the best decisions I have made in my life path. I have taken a few risks in my young business life that did not take hold. Yet, I learned some of my greatest lessons from failure. I pressed on.

Metro Relief was started by Austin Bonds twelve years ago. I met Austin 4 years ago, when I heard his vision and intentions for the homeless population. Austin had a vision of having people as Mobile Case Managers so that these staff members could have the Metro Relief office in the Relief Bus and in the outreach vehicles. He had already helped start Mobile Outreaches in Detroit, Michigan, and Columbus, Ohio.

For me personally, it was not a call to start a business, but to help others reach their potential. There is a story in my favorite book about a man named Lazarus that was raised from death. After Lazarus was raised, his best friend looked at the onlookers and kindly told them, “You take off the graveclothes.” Over my career, my focus has always been to show others how to have empathy and compassion. Metro Relief was an opportunity to show others how to get your hands dirty and overcome that fear.

My business acumen and process were provided to me when I helped my mother start a successful company in 1986. During this time, I emulated her integrity and honesty. It was a company I helped from the ground up. Today my sister owns and operates a thriving company.

During this time is when I started at first volunteering on the Salvation Army Soup Truck in Columbus, Ohio. Eventually I was picking men up from jail, taking people to detox and much more.

In 1997 I sensed that I needed to take a risk and find my place in the world or find my land so to say. So, I accepted a job in Ft Worth, Texas, and moved my family of four (1-year-old daughter and 4-year-old son) to Richardson, Texas, in an unknown land. No family or connections. The job was straight commission. The “draw” was $1500 a month for three months, and then 10% commission. It entailed selling the American Flag out of the trunk of my car. In my first year, I was able to sell One Million dollars. I worked from home; my leads were found in the area business Phone Book White Pages. For the first time in my life, I was dialing dollars.

Once I built my territory, this yearning to help the hurting, addicted, and homeless. So, I found a pastor in Lewisville, Texas, and we started going to the poorer neighborhoods and knocked on doors to offer them any help they need. When that came to an end, I found another.

In 2008 I quit playing golf (I was horrible) and decided I wanted to begin to use all my free time to start volunteering in prison ministry, homeless outreach, and more. My wife joined me in this new adventure to serve.

In 2018, I quit my sales job and accepted an opportunity to be the executive director at a large transitional community that has 12 homes and approx. 142 beds for men and women. During this time, I met Austin Bonds, and we began to get to know each other. His story captured my heart, and one year later I came on staff as a catalyst for Metro Relief. A year later, Austin asked me to be the executive director.

In my three years at Metro Relief, I have encouraged Austin and the staff to take risks, which is not something new for them as they are all risk-takers to help the homeless.

Today at Metro Relief, we have built an incredible core team of like-minded people. The impact of our Mobile approach has exponentially increased. This year we are kicking off a plan to train, help, or plant our Mobility Case Manager approach to 25 communities in five years. We are calling it 25 in 5. We have already helped 5 communities to begin using our Metro Relief Model. I would call this our next risk along with Austin Bonds and the team.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
It is odd to look at myself as a brand. But, I will try.

My life and career started at an Electricity Plant in Columbus, Ohio, in 1983. I was hired as a laborer and became a heavy equipment operator. After about a year, I decided that is not what I wanted to do for 30 years. I floated around different jobs of sales, gas station manager, etc. My life at this time was entangled with a lifestyle of substance abuse.

I cleaned up and started at the Family Flag Store in 1986. My parents (owned company) always helped people that needed assistance. When they remodeled our home, they would use a painter in recovery, if they needed a wall put up in the store, it would be a person in recovery, or they just needed an opportunity or hand up. I recall a guy named John who was on parole for murder; he built the shelves in the retail store we created.

In the 80s, the first homeless person I ever met was a second cousin; she ended up on the streets for untreated mental illness. They always loved on her and never spoke poorly of her challenges (Sue eventually got off the street using a homeless outreach much like Metro Relief). My “brand” was passed onto me by my parents. They encouraged me to be a “Big Brother” at the center. It was a different reward by helping another. It got me out of myself. It worked.

As I began to grow as a business person, I started to want to go out on my own and try something new. Honestly, I wanted something to call my own or I wanted to try to build something. I also wanted my parents to be just that, my mom and dad. Not my bosses.

When I moved to Texas my sales experience was purchasing and retail only, not much outside sales experience. That’s when James Welch of VP of Steelcase Furniture took me under his wing. When I asked him, “how do I get leads,” he gave me the Business White Pages and a list from Dallas Business Journal of Fortune 500 Companies. He sat with me for a day. He made three appointments for me via telephone. When he was done, he commented call me with any questions. My first year I sold a million dollars.

My journey was filled with closed doors, success, and failures. It is when I began realizing that I wanted to give others a hand up that I sensed I was going to serve others. I overcame the ups and downs by my faith, mentors, and hard work. My willingness to learn and and listen from other successful persons that showed an interest in my well-being. I went through every door opened to me. I never wanted to be looking back and asking myself, “Why didn’t I look at the employment opportunity or take that meeting? I am not fearful of risk. I did not want to have the ‘what if’ question. Each time I’ve said yes or no to a risk or opportunity, I did it with as much info as I could gather, prayer, and thought. I have no regrets. I will continue looking for adventure, as I don’t golf.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
When friends come into town to visit, I would first attempt to get them to go out for a day of serving with the Metro Relief team and going out on the Relief Bus to love on some homeless friends. Normally we will take them into Dallas first, get some Lockhart Smokehouse Barbecue, take a walk down through Dealey Plaza, and remind them of that horrific event. The Cattle Drive Sculptures are located on Pioneer Plaza, which is also a fun thing to walk to. If the time of the year is right, it would be off to a Dallas Mavericks game or a Texas Rangers Baseball game.

Other places we would be sure to visit for a day would be Ft Worth Stockyards and Sundance Square to shop and eat. If time is available, we would surely try to take a drive to San Antonio to see the missions and other sights.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would like to give a shoutout to a man by the name of Mr. Rhinehart of the SBA in Columbus, Ohio, who taught me many things in business. He is not with us anymore, but I hear his quote in my head often. “Charlie, don’t forget who helped you to dig your well.”

There are so many I could list, so much great advice and life lessons provided. I will list a few. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention my wife of 33 years. She believed in me, encouraged me, and supported every risk ever taken. Her advice saved me from a few trainwrecks. Mary Leavitt, the founder of The Flag Lady’s Flag Store. Working with her, I experienced her overcoming the challenges of being a woman in business. Her fortitude and courage certainly rubbed off on me.

Mr. James Welch, VP of Steelcase Furniture, taught me the “art of a cold-call.” Forever thankful. Mr. Dan Wilhite, a very successful businessman, took time to take an interest in my desire to help the marginalized. For a few years, he was honest with me, even when it hurt. Most importantly, he took me on an outreach to Cuba 23 years ago to gain an understanding of a third-world nation and poverty. I am forever grateful.

Mr. Troy Freeman, who took a risk on me to be the Executive Director at The Freeman House. Troy believed in me when I needed it the most in my life. Austin Bonds, the CEO of Metro Relief. His confidence and trust have allowed me to grow in my faith and skills.

So many books I’ve read. The current book that I am reading and would recommend is “Homeless in America” by Stephen Eide. The two books that have impacted me and which I read many years ago are “Pilgrim’s Progress” by John Bunyan and “The Greatest Salesman in the World” by OG Mandino.

Website: metrorelief.org

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Linkedin: Charlie Leavitt

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Other: Podcast: Homeless in America = https://hiapodcast.com/