Richard Montañez didn’t start at the bottom; he started at the beginning.

Drawing on courage, the support of family and a deep hunger for a better life, the Southern California native from an impoverished background rose from janitor to millionaire corporate executive – a meteoric ascent fueled by his bold creation of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos.

Counselor Executive Editor Christopher Ruvo chats with Richard Montañez following the keynoter’s talk at a motivational breakfast held at The ASI Show Fort Worth on Tuesday.

That idea laid the foundation for the Flamin’ Hot line of products, which has become a billion-dollar business and helped inspire a cultural revolution that’s seen the incorporation of so-called “ethnic flavors” into everyday snack foods.

Montañez shared his story during a motivational breakfast keynote that kicked off The ASI Show Fort Worth on Tuesday. In a conversational style filled with self-deprecating humor, Montañez captivated attendees with the tale of how he manufactured the American dream on his terms, not by trying to fit in but by drawing on what made him unique.

He encouraged his audience to pull from their own particular life experiences to offer perspectives and solutions that they’re singularly qualified to provide.

“You weren’t created to fit in, you were made to stand out,” said Montañez.

Richard Montañez 

Certainly, Montañez stood out back in 1976 when he gave a presentation to a room full of Frito-Lay executives and pitched his idea for Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. That he was even there was a result of a string of brazen decisions. The CEO at the time invited employees at all levels to act as owners of the company and come up with ideas for how to improve the business. At the time, Montañez was a janitor at a SoCal plant. Peers in comparable positions and superiors didn’t much heed the CEO’s call. But Montanez did. He saw a big opportunity – and he decided to take it.

Inspired by his Latino heritage and the Mexican food and culture he grew up with, Montañez, along with the help and inspiration of his loving wife Judy, developed the concept of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. While intimidated, he nonetheless persevered and called the CEO to tell of his idea. The CEO – a visionary – took the call. “I spoke to him from my heart,” said Montañez. “By the end of the call, he told me, ‘I’m coming to see you in two weeks.’ I was a guy who’d never even done homework. Now I had to come up with a presentation.”

With guidance from a book he got at the local library, Montañez developed his pitch. Wearing a $3 tie that a neighbor had to knot for him, he went to the presentation with bags of what would become Flamin’ Hot Cheetos that he, his wife and kids had packaged. There were naysayers – “Someone in the room is always going to try to steal your dream,” he said – but that didn’t deter Montañez. He pressed on. “Hunger is the antidote to fear,” he said. “I was hungry for it. … I have a ‘PhD’ – I’ve been poor, hungry and determined. So again I spoke to them from my heart. And they were listening.”

Ultimately, Frito-Lay got behind the product and the concept was a massive success in the marketplace. In the years and decades following the fateful presentation, Montañez continued to forge more barrier-breaking success. Commonly recognized as one of the most influential Latinos in corporate America, Montañez has held various executive roles at Frito-Lay and PepsiCo, where he currently is vice president of multicultural sales and community promotions. He is PepsiCo’s only four-time recipient of the Chairman’s Award – the highest honor given to employees based on performance and work ethic.

Beyond corporate success, Montañez has carved out a career as a keynote speaker and corporate consultant. The man without a high school diploma has spoken to the United Nations about job creation, given talks at Harvard University and dined with every president since Ronald Reagan. A best-selling author, there’s a Hollywood movie about his life due out next year. He’s also never forgotten his humble origins – a fact evidenced by his founding of a nonprofit that provides high-need families in the United States with food and school supplies.

The list of business and philanthropic achievements could run much longer. All are rooted, though, in Montañez’s ability to have the imagination and courage to forge a better life.

“It may sound a little arrogant, but you have to fall in love with yourself,” said Montañez. “You have to draw on that and be willing to look a little ridiculous even to make your dream happen. You have to have courage, and go for it.”