Tarra’s airport concessions experience began when she was a teenager, as she worked at part-time jobs in airport operations managed by her mother’s firms, JL Unlimited and the Magnolia Group, while she attended high school and college. Once she earned her bachelor’s degree in finance from Tuskegee University in Tuskegee, Alabama, she decided to establish her own airport concessions firm, Tarra Enterprises.
Currently under contract at JFK, Palm Beach, Miami and Atlantic City International Airports, Tarra Enterprises continues to thrive under Tarra’s leadership. She and her management staff play an active role in managing the retail and food-and-beverage brands they operate, including Starbucks, Victoria’s Secret, Hugo Boss, Lacoste, Quiznos®, Hudson and Tech On The Go, to name a few. (See Locations for a complete list.)
Beyond her dedication to the airport concessions industry, Tarra is committed to the community and the promise of youth. She is a former president and board member of Girls II Women, the nonprofit organization she helped establish in 1997 to support teenage girls in underserved South Florida neighborhoods as they strive to achieve their full personal and professional potential. Earlier in her career, Tarra was an active member of nonprofits including Black Outstanding Sisters of Success (BOSS), another organization dedicated to supporting teens. Today she plays an active role in Kids And the Power Of Work (KAPOW) at Larkdale Elementary School in Broward County.
A resident of Riviera Beach, Florida, Tarra also contributes her time and talents to New Bethel Missionary Baptist Church in West Palm Beach.