Richard Montanez Net Worth: How Rich Is He?

Are you curious about who Richard Montañez is? What is Richard Montañez net worth? Іf уоu dоn’t knоw yet, read this article for dеtаіlѕ about Richard Montañez’ѕ ѕhоrt bіоgrарhу-wіkі, саrееr, реrѕоnаl lіfе, рrоfеѕѕіоnаl lіfе, tоdау’ѕ nеt wоrth, hеіght, wеіght, age, birthday, nationality, parents, аnd everything else you should know!

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Richard Montanez net worth illustration
Name Richard Montañez
Full Name Richard Montañez
Birthday August 15, 1958
Age63
GenderMale
Height 5’9” (175cm)
Wright 75 kg (165 lbs)
Partner Judy Montañez
Kids3
Professions Entrepreneur, arketing Leader at PepsiCo
Nationality Mexican
Net Worth$15 Million

Who is Richard Montañez?

Richard Montañez currently works at PepsiCo as the Vice President of Multicultural Sales and Community Promotions. He was even recognized by Fortune and Newsweek for being one of the most influential Hispanic leaders in the entire country.

However, that’s not what he’s best known for. Instead, most people know him as the man who claimed to have invented Frito-Lay’s best-selling product, the Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. This was apparently during his time working at a Frito-Lay plant over 30 years ago.

Although he never finished his schooling, he teaches MBA students about leadership at a state university in California.

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Where is Richard Montañez from?

Richard Montañez was originally from Mexico. His family moved to the United States when he was young, and he and his ten siblings grew up in a small town near Ontario, California called Guasti.

Richard Montañez Early Life

Since Richard Montañez’s family was poor, they had to share a crowded one-bedroom apartment. In addition to that, they were all native Spanish speakers who weren’t fluent in English. This resulted in the siblings having poor reading and writing skills, which led to them having trouble completing their schooling.

Instead of finishing his high school diploma, Richard Montañez instead started working low-pay jobs. These jobs included gardening and even working at a chicken farm.

That said, Richard had always been an entrepreneur at heart. According to his book, he used to sell one of the two burritos his mother made for him every day for 25 cents each. His mother made them so he could give one to a friend, but instead, Richard’s entrepreneurial mind realized he could make money with the extra burrito.

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Richard Montañez Personal Life

Richard Montañez wife, Judy Montanez, has been with him for almost 40 years. They got married when they were in their mid to late 20s. They have three sons and, as of this writing, four grandchildren. 

Richard Montañez house is now in Rancho Cucamonga, which is very near to his childhood town of Guasti. Interestingly, Rancho Cucamonga is also where the Frito-Lay plant in his best-known Cheetos story is located.

What Is Richard Montañez Famous For?

According to Richard Montañez, it was he who first invented the Flamin’ Hot Cheetos.

As the story goes, it was in 1976 when Richard Montañez’s friend told him about a job vacancy at a nearby Frito-Lay plant in California. It was for a janitorial position. Richard, who never said no to anything, applied for the job and got hired.

Even though he was only expected to do janitorial duties, the ever-curious Richard also observed other operations at the plant. More specifically, he learned how the machines operated, what the company was all about, and what its products are.

One day, a Cheetos machine broke, preventing the Cheetos to be covered with powder.

Richard apparently took these unfinished Cheetos and added his own mix to them. The mix was inspired by elote, a Mexican street snack made of corn and seasoned with salt, butter, chili powder, cotija, mayo, and lime juice.

While doing this, he realized that Frito-Lay had no products catering to Latinos. Since his friends and family loved his own flavor of the Cheetos, they encouraged Richard to tell his supervisors at the plant.

According to the story, when Richard made the call, it was Enrico’s assistant who answered the phone. He introduced himself as a janitor at one of their California plants, and she connected him to Roger Enrico, the CEO of Frito-Lay’s parent company, PepsiCo.

Surprisingly, Roger Enrico actually listened to his suggestion. He loved the idea so much that he ended up creating a new line of Cheetos, called the “Flamin’ Hot Cheetos.”

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Who is the CEO of Cheetos?

There’s no CEO of Cheetos since Cheetos itself isn’t a company; it’s a product.

The company that makes Cheetos, however, is called Frito-Lay. Its parent company is PepsiCo, whose CEO is Roger Enrico. Additionally, Roger Enrico was also the head of marketing at Frito-Lay.

How Did Richard Montañez Get Rich?

Richard Montañez has a pretty high role at PepsiCo right now. His job involves supervising Multicultural Sales and Marketing across different divisions of Pepsi in North America. He also has experience working in various departments of the company.

Aside from his Cheetos story, Richard Montañez is also known for his leadership and his innovative mind when creating new products for the company. In fact, he has already received various awards and recognitions for his work. One example is his recognition as an influential Hispanic in the US by the magazine, Hispanic Lifestyle.

Richard even has a foundation called “Onelite,” which feeds a thousand families every year and gives footwear to poor, school-aged children.

In 2004, Richard presented at a UN event. He was even invited to the White House a couple of times.

In 2013, he published a book called “А Воу, А Вurrіtо аnd А Сооkіе: Frоm Јаnіtоr tо Ехесutіvе” detailing his motivational story about inventing the Flamin’ Hot Cheetos.

In 2015, he was elected as the first Latino board member of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.

In 2018, he also signed a contract with the company Fox Searchlight to create a biographical movie about his Cheetos story. The film will be called “Flamin’ Hot” in honor of the event, and Eva Langoria will apparently star in it.

Currently, Richard teaches leadership subjects to students taking up their master’s degree in business at a state university in California.

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What is Richard Montañez Net Worth?

Although we don’t know his exact salary at PepsiCo, Richard Montañez net worth is estimated to be around $15 million.

He’s been working at the company for decades now, and he also earns money from his teaching job, his book, and his appearances. One guest appearance can apparently net him around $10,000 to $50,000. Add to that his main income and side earnings, and you can see how he can make a good income.

Also, Richard Montañez ‘Onelite’ foundation can afford to feed a thousand families per year, which certainly suggests that he’s living a comfortable lifestyle.

Final Words: Is Richard Montañez a Millionaire?

As of 2022, Richard Montañez is a multi-millionaire. His net worth is estimated to be around $15 million.

Thanks to his decades of hard work and dedication to his craft, Richard Montañez net worth in 2022 is definitely something to be proud of. His journey in life is also very inspiring to anyone who wants to achieve bigger and brighter dreams!

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