people smile when Santa walks through the door, whether they believe or not.

We delivered two baby kangaroos in cages from the ex-wife's house to the ex-husband's house after he had won them in the custody battle. Those kangaroos didn't stop jumping for one minute until they reached Daddy.

A woman was at her office working when her husband called and asked if we could deliver her a left-over piece of pizza from his house to her office because she was hungry.

A man would call our office once per week to pick up an air conditioning unit from one place and deliver it to the back of a local supermarket. Every week this job was done, and the customer always paid us COD for that delivery. The end result was that we were delivering stolen items (unknown to us) and ended up in a police sting. The police used our uniforms and our vehicle to nab the thieves. We felt bad that we were delivering stolen items. We thought the supermarkets were redoing the A/C systems in all their South Florida stores. We didn't know that the driver was delivering to a van that was located behind the well-known supermarket.

As to special people, we've delivered to people such as Dan Marino, Don Shula, Danny Glover, Gloria Estefan, Charlie Sheen, Madonna, Sylvester Stallone, Julio Iglesias, Ricky Martin and Jennifer Lopez, just to name a few. We delivered an electric guitar to the Florida Keys for a music video featuring the band Areosmith.

We were hired to clear out a terminated employee's personal belongings from his ex-office and held it at our office until he picked it up.

Many times our customers want the pick up or the delivery to be confidential. Sometimes we feel like undercover agents. When we deliver two flower arrangements, one to the wife and one to the mistress, someone is in trouble if we mix up the deliveries. We delivered to so many places such as businesses, hospitals, residences, retail stores, behind stores, construction sites, airports, to cruise ships, to military bases, to the courts, etc. We've delivered to people who are anxiously waiting for the delivery and some that had no idea the delivery was expected. We've delivered to people who are having happy times and some that have just experienced

sadness in their life. Whatever the case may be, we handle all our deliveries with care and respect, and we always try to deliver on time.

MCW: Your company is known for its public service. Can you tell us a little about what your company did after Hurricane Andrew hit South Florida?

Baron: After Hurricane Andrew, businesses were closed down for more than a week. People were calling family members in Florida from out of town and hearing the message "All circuits are busy. Please try your call later." Somehow, people called Baron Messenger Service to go to their families' homes and find out if they were all right. There was no electricity, phone lines and street signs were down, the traffic lights were not working and there was debris everywhere in the streets. It was so easy to get lost and very easy to get a flat tire. Nothing could stop us! Besides bringing supplies down south every day for family, friends, employees and those in need, we found our way to some of the out-of-town callers' families. When we found the home, we dialed up on our portable phone and let them speak with each other. All this work at no charge.

It's important to help the community. Someday you may need help.

MCW: Who has helped you along the way? And who do you look to for advice in the industry?

Baron: My family, my partner, every employee and every contractor who has been a part of Baron Messenger Service has helped us along the way. MCAA has been a big part of my business. I have expanded my horizons and met some great people at the MCAA. Being on the Board was a great experience. Attending the MCAA conventions has always been worthwhile. I have asked for advice from many fellow members, and I have also given advice many times. How can you learn more than sitting around at the conventions, talking to people in the same industry, and getting ideas? Other couriers are willing to tell their story and listen to yours, to answer questions, to give advice and to help you out. I've learned that we can all work together.