Richard Montanez is Vice President of Multicultural Sales & Community Promotions for PepsiCo’s North American divisions. He is best known as the inventor of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. Montanez is recognized for his visionary leadership and ability to create new products and systems. In addition, Fortune and Newsweek named him one of the most influential Hispanic leaders in the United States. As of 2021, Richard Montanez has a net worth of nearly $10 million.
| Real Name/Full Name: | Richard Montanez |
| Gender: | Male |
| Age | 63 years old |
| Birth Date: | 15 August 1958 |
| Birth Place: | Mexico |
| Nationality: | Mexican |
| Height: | 5 ft 9 inches |
| Weight: | 75 kg |
| Sexual Orientation: | Straight |
| Marital Status: | Married |
| Wife/Spouse (Name): | Judy Montañez |
| Children/Kids (Son and Daughter): | Three sons |
| Dating/Girlfriend (Name): | No |
| Is Richard Montanez Gay?: | No |
| Profession: | Executive at PepsiCo |
| Salary: | NA |
| Net Worth: | $10 million |
Richard Montanez Early Life
Richard Montanez was born in California to Mexican immigrant parents and raised there with his ten siblings. He and his family shared a one-bedroom apartment. “I have a Ph.D. in being Poor, Hungry, and Determined,” he famously says. This helps to explain Richard’s upbringing and how it shaped his life.
Montanez had an entrepreneurial spirit since he was a child. His mother would pack him a burrito for lunch when he was in third grade, but Montanez was embarrassed to eat it because burritos were not popular at the time. His mother then packed him two burritos, one for himself and one to share with a friend. When he was only seven years old, he began selling those burritos for $0.25 each.
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Richard Montanez Net Worth and Career
As a teenager, Montanez dropped out of school and began working as a laborer. Montanez worked odd jobs as a chicken slaughterer, car washer, and gardener. When he was 18, one of his friends informed him that Frito Lay was hiring and that he should apply. He had his girlfriend write the application on his behalf because he didn’t know how to read or write.
Richard got the job and began working as a janitor. Even as a janitor, he mentions in his memoir how he was determined to be the best janitor. He was able to rise from rags to riches after pitching his idea to the CEO for spicy chips aimed at the Latino market.
Since then, the product known as Flamin’ Hot Cheetos has generated billions of dollars in revenue and has become a best seller. Richard worked as Pepsi’s vice president of multicultural sales and community promotions. He went on to publish two books, A Boy, a Burrito, and a Cookie: From Janitor to Executive and Flamin’ Hot: The Incredible True Story of One Man’s Rise from Janitor to Top Executive.
Richard Montanez and PepsiCo
Montanez is now PepsiCo’s executive vice president of multicultural sales and community activation for the North American divisions.
PepsiCo, Inc. is a multinational American snack, food, and beverage corporation headquartered in Harrison, New York.
Richard Montanez Net Worth
Richard Montanez is best known for creating Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. He is the Vice President (VP) of Multicultural Sales and Community Promotions in PepsiCo’s North American divisions. Montanez is a forward-thinking leader who has created new and innovative systems and products. He was also named by Newsweek and Fortune as a highly influential Hispanic leader in the United States. It’s interesting to learn that Richard hasn’t finished high school. Despite not having attended college, he teaches MBA students at a California university. As of 2021, Richard Montanez has a net worth of nearly $10 million.
