Real estate and construction executive Adam Hlavaty and three other South Floridians were among the people killed in a safari helicopter crash in Kenya.
Seven people died after the Eurocopter EC130 B4 helicopter crashed into the remote foothills of Mount Ololokwe Wednesday morning, WTVJ reported. Five of the passengers were American.
Hlavaty was the co-founder of Mrkt Group, a real estate development and branded design company. He previously held positions as a retail broker at Newmark and U.S. real estate manager at Pret A Manger. He also served as the vice president of real estate, construction and facilities for Pollo Tropical and in development for Benihana, according to LinkedIn.
Hlavaty’s husband, Henry Parra, was also killed in the crash. Parra was an aviation software executive from Miami and served as president of the Bimini Bay Homeowners Association, his LinkedIn profile shows. The South Florida couple was married in 2017 and enjoyed traveling the world, the outlet reported. Their families declined to comment.
Miami restaurateur Roger Edward Duarte was also among the crash victims. Duarte left investment banking when he was 24 to found the seafood company George Stone Crab in 2008, the Miami New Times reported. Four years later, he co-founded My Ceviche with chef Sam Gorenstein and was featured in Forbes 30 Under 30 in 2016. Duarte is survived by his two sons and his wife, Nicole Valls. Valls leads Tamiami Properties Inc. along with her father, Felipe Valls Jr., and his sister, Jeannette Valls-Edwards, according to the Florida Division of Corporations. The Valls family founded the classic Miami restaurants Versailles and La Carreta.
Telemundo executive and journalist José Alberto Suárez also died in the crash. Suárez served as the president and general manager of Telemundo 31, Telemundo 49 and Telemundo Ft.Myers–Naples. The Florida-native also spent nearly four years as a director of creative services and programming at NBC Miami.
Ecuadorian National Intelligence Center Director Michele Sensi-Contugi and his wife, Stephany Hollihan, also died in the crash. Hollihan previously worked as a creative development assistant at Bottega Veneta in Miami, the outlet said.
The helicopter’s pilot also died. The aircraft, carrying guests of the travel company &Beyond, was taking a sightseeing flight from the Loisaba Conservancy when it crashed, according to the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority. An investigation is underway.
—Grace McClung
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