El Paso business man Mike Dipp Jr. dies
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- Mike Dipp Jr., a member of the family who formerly ran the Plaza Hotel and the Plaza Theater, has died. A friend of the Dipp family confirms to ABC-7 that he died on Saturday.
Dipp's father bought the hotel from the Hiltons, eventually passing on the duties of running the Plaza to his son. The family immigrated to El Paso from Lebanon via Mexico. Dipp Sr. opened a grocery and produce business, including the Economy Cash & Carry, a 1950s version of Costco. The family also owned several other Downtown properties. Dipp Sr. died in 2009 at the age of 89.
Dipp Jr. started working for the family business in 1968, working at the refrigeration business they owned. Then, in 1970, he started managing the Plaza Hotel. He was the President of the Downtown Association for six years, starting in 1988.
