J Magazine Spring 2018

J PARTNER PROFILE
By Barbara Gavan
Christopher Caprio,
President of Ashley HomeStore
Ashley HomeStore
Furniture retailer works to improve Jacksonville’s quality of life
s president of a company concerned with the challenges
A of daily living, Christopher Caprio can easily relate the
needs of the individual to the needs of the community.
“Ashley HomeStores exists to improve the efficiency, comfort
and ease of daily life for our customers,” he
said. “Children do better in school when
they have a good night’s sleep, and to do
that, they must have a good bed. That’s also
true with the community. If we improve the
lives of Jacksonville’s residents, we improve Jacksonville.”
Caprio is relatively new to the city, but visited often before
moving to Jacksonville, and likes what he sees.
“There have been so many changes already,” he said. “Downtown
has received a real facelift; I appreciate the revitalization
throughout the area. There’s so much to do with the sports complex,
entertainment, cultural and dining opportunities. The city
provides a good experience.”
But, he’s also noticed construction projects that need finishing,
dilapidated buildings that should be renovated, and improvements
to the city’s infrastructure that are necessary for the
well-being of its residents.
“We believe that we can aid in this revitalization
by helping people one at a time,”
he said. “After the hurricane, we helped over
20 families refurnishing their homes — three
52-foot semi-trucks full of furniture and mattresses! We also
donated 280 beds to First Coast kids through our Hope to Dream
in 2017 alone. Throughout Jacksonville, Ashley works with over 35
different charitable organizations, including a partnership with
the Jacksonville Jaguars, EverBank and HabiJax, to help put single
moms into homes to better care for their families. This is our way
of contributing to Jacksonville’s revitalization.”
WILL DICKEY
QUICK
TAKES
BUILDING ON PEOPLE
“I believe in building on people. Everything starts and ends
with people. As we improve the lives of Jacksonville’s people
through local charities and through improvements in education,
we’ll improve the entire city. If we take care of the people, the
people will take care of the community.”
HELPING WHERE NEEDED
“It’s not Downtown, but we’re taking steps to help another
underserved area - Regency. We’ll be opening an Ashley HomeStore
Outlet there by the end of May. At a time when other companies are
leaving the area, we feel we can help by bringing more business back
into Regency and, by doing so, perhaps begin a turnaround there.”
SPRING 2018 | J MAGAZINE 71