MIAMI–Manuel Capo, founder and chief executive officer of El Dorado Furniture, has died. He was 83.
Capo founded the retailer, described in a company statement as the largest Hispanic-owned retail store in the United States, in 1967, one year after he and two of his sons, Luis and Carlos, fled their native Cuba. The company was named after the boat that took the three men to the U.S. Today, El Dorado has 11 stores, all in southern Florida, and more than 700 employees.
He is survived by his wife, Aida; seven sons; 20 grandchildren; and 11 great-grandchildren. The company said donations in Capo’s memory can be made to Amigos For Kids, a non-profit organization dedicated to preventing child abuse and neglect of children, based in Miami.