The Miami Herald Newsmakers Column.

The Miami Herald Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News

Dec. 30--On almost a biweekly basis, furniture retailers fly into South Florida from New York, California, Illinois and other states to tour El Dorado Furniture stores.

Industry insiders say they're intrigued by the stores' "Boulevard streetscape" floor plan -- a shopping mall concept that closely resembles Disney World's Main Street, as well as by El Dorado's same-day delivery program.

That's a customer service that is rare in the furniture industry, says Michael Pierce, director of communications for the National Home Furnishings Association. As corporate secretary and chief operating officer of El Dorado, Pedro Capo has been the creative mind behind those innovations, and now he's in a position to share his ideas with a much wider audience.

Effective Jan. 1, Capo assumes the presidency of the National Home Furnishings Association. He's the first Hispanic and the first Florida resident to serve as president of the 83-year-old industry …