Miami entrepreneur and seafood businessman Roger Duarte, who constructed a profitable profession after strolling away from funding banking, was killed in a helicopter crash in northern Kenya on Wednesday. Based on New York Post, Duarte, 42, was travelling with six different individuals when the Eurocopter EC130 B4 crashed close to Mount Ololokwe in Samburu County at round 9:13 am. native time. All seven individuals on board, together with the Kenyan pilot, died. The plane was working a constitution flight from the Loisaba Conservancy towards the Ewaso Nyiro space. Kenyan aviation authorities are investigating the reason for the crash.
The opposite American victims included Telemundo government José Alberto Suárez, in addition to Henry Parra and Adam Hlavaty. Ecuador’s intelligence chief Michele Sensi-Contugi and his spouse, Stephany Hollihan Vásconez, have been additionally killed within the crash. Vásconez was a twin US-Ecuadorian citizen.
“Our deepest sympathies are with the visitors, crew, their households and family members, and all these affected by this tragic accident,” Woman Lori Helicopters, which operated the flight, mentioned in an announcement.
Duarte’s household mentioned in an announcement they have been “devastated and heartbroken” by his demise. “The magnitude of this tragedy is not possible to understand, and there aren’t any phrases to specific the depth of our ache,” they mentioned.
Duarte lived in a $2.8 million mansion together with his spouse, Nicole Valls Duarte, and their two kids.
His entrepreneurial journey
Duarte started promoting South American cigars to his dad’s associates as a schoolboy. In 2008, on the age of 24, he left funding banking to launch his first enterprise, George Stone Crab. He began by promoting crab claws to neighbours in Key Biscayne, Florida, earlier than partnering with a significant wholesaler. In 2012, he co-founded the seafood restaurant ‘My Ceviche’ with chef Sam Gorenstein. The take a look at retailer generated $1 million in gross sales in its first yr, and the model grew to become well-known throughout South Florida.
Bloomberg later referred to as him the “Stone Crab King”. In 2016, Forbes named him to its ’30 Under 30 Food‘ listing, highlighting his early bounce from finance to entrepreneurship. He later served as CEO of Hospitality Capital Companions, persevering with his work in Miami’s hospitality and funding sectors.
His demise marks a big loss to Miami’s meals and hospitality business.