HomeMy WebLinkAboutE-mailGallastegui, Elvi
From: Wright, Steve
Sent: Wednesday, July 15, 2009 4:49 PM
To: Agenda Office
Subject: Proper Capo BIO
Importance: High
Mr. Manuel Cap6, founder and CEO of EI Dorado Furniture, the largest Hispanic -owned retail store in the United States,
passed away peacefully in his sleep on July, 10. He was 83.
Manuel "Manolo" Cap6, was a remarkable example of the American dream. Manuel Cap6 was born in 1925 in Pinar del Rio,
Cuba, and began working in his father's furniture shop at a young age. In 1966, Manuel & two of his sons, Luis and Carlos,
fled Castro's communist Cuba in a fishing boat. The boat, named EI Dorado, came to symbolize freedom to the family, and its
legacy is EI Dorado Furniture, the largest Hispanic -owned furniture company in the country.
Manuel founded the furniture company in 1967 with the help of a loan from the Small Business Administration. It was then,
that he opened his first EI Dorado store in the heart of little Havana on Calle Ocho. Today, EI Dorado has eleven stores in the
South Florida market. With over 700 employees, it is among the top fifty U.S. furniture retailers in the country.
Manuel was an example of the success that can come from hard work, talent, and a dedication to family and the community.
His contributions to the community, directly and indirectly, are immeasurable. Manuel was always committed to his roots and
is loyal to the community that saw his company grow.
Manuel represented the meaning of leadership. Not only because he has been successful as an entrepreneur but because he
has always focused on maintaining the family united, and succeeded at it as well. The most important thing to him was his
family. He always said, "The biggest business in the world is maintaining your family and keeping it together." His seven
sons, as well as grandchildren, work in the family business. He wanted to be remembered as a humble person.
Besides his seven sons, Manuel Cap6 is survived by his wife Aida, twenty grandchildren, and eleven great-grandchildren.
Steve Wright
Senior Policy Advisor
Office of Commissioner Joe Sanchez
3500 Pan American Drive
Miami, FL 33133
305 250-5380/FAX: 305 250-5386
swright a,miami ov.com