Gildo Massó González (December 8, 1926 – January 15, 2007) was the founder and CEO of Masso Enterprises and also the developer of the concept of "build it yourself" low cost houses. Early years Massó was born and raised in San Lorenzo, Puerto Rico where he received his primary and secondary education. His parents were Rafael Massó Vázquez and Francisca González Padín. He was a hard working young man who admired the Puerto Rican political leader Luis Muñoz Marín. He helped support his family working in the local hardware store. After graduating from high school he enrolled in the University of Puerto Rico. First Masso Hardware Store In 1951, Massó opened his first hardware store, Ferretería Masso (Masso Hardware Store) in San Lorenzo, which became a successful venture. He married Carmen Tuly Aponte in 1953. In 1954 he established his first cinder block factory. In 1959, Massó ventured into the construction business and built the Massó Subdivision in San Lorenzo. In 1961, he opened Caguas' Lumber Yard in Caguas. In 1967, the Massó Cement Factory moved to much larger facility in Gurabo. Casas Massó In 1974, with the need of affordable housing in Puerto Rico, Massó developed a concept of selling low cost houses, made out of wood, known as Modelos Massó or Casas Massó (Masso Models). The idea was to supply customers with the necessary elements to build a low cost home. The all-inclusive packages included floor plans, building materials and construction loans. In 1981, Massó acquired two Carlos Armstrong Hardware Stores in Ponce and in 1983, he opened the Cayey Home Center in Cayey. In 1984 Massó built 550 residences in San Lorenzo, which is now known as "Massó City" and, in 1986, he built 67 residences in the Cerro Gordo sector of San Lorenzo. In 1992, Massó introduced the new Casas Massó which were made of cement, with the same concept as the first models. In 1993, he set up a Super Massó Hardware Store consisting of 55,000 square feet (5,100 m²) and offering over 60,000 products in Caguas. In 1996, Massó Enterprises was involved in a project which built 169 residences in Paseo San Lorenzo. In 1997 Massó acquired six Builder's Square Stores in Caguas, Bayamon, Carolina, Ponce and Mayaguez. These were renamed Plaza Massó. In 1995, the Massó Hardware Store introduced Auto-Express in which the customer used a drive-through to make purchases. This concept increased