Manuel Villamanan

Manuel “Manolo” Villamanan, who capped a four-decades long career in the auto-industry, died on October 12 2020. He was 85 years old. Mr. Villamanan was the Co-Founder and President of Midway Ford, and ultimately became the CEO of South Motors and Vista Motors in South Florida. He is survived by his wife of 57 years, Carmen Villamanan, his sons Alexander "Alex" and Manuel “Manny” (and his wife Mariaelena), and his granddaughters, Gabriella Victoria “Gavivi” and Sofia. Villamanan began his auto-industry career at Anthony Abraham Chevorlet, where he worked for 14 years and met his future business partner, Charles Dascal—fittingly, when selling him a car. The two joined forces to found Midway Ford; and under their leadership, the dealership grew to become one of the largest Ford stores in the country. Upon his joining the South Motors and Vista groups as President & CEO years later, Vista became the number one BMW dealer in the country for eight years. A native of Havana, Cuba, Mr. Villamanan was dedicated to fighting for Cuba and fostering Cuban community in South Florida.