He might not be a household name, but Don Kendall is the management whiz that transformed Pepsi from a struggling Coca-Cola also-ran into a global snack and soda powerhouse. He served as the company's chief executive from 1963 through 1986, through the merger with Frito Lay. That sort of leadership tends to pay well, especially given the improvements to Pepsi's bottom line, and his success is evident in this Greenwich estate. The 91-year-old recently listed the stone mansion for $6.9M. Set down a long gated driveway on 8.75 treed acres, the Tudor manse has nine bedrooms and a dozen bathrooms, all spread over 12,300 square feet of classic 1929 architecture.
? In the candy business, which is full of family firms, Pat and Nina Brock might be considered sellouts. They sold off the 108-year-old Brock Candy Company, which was the first to introduce the popular gummy bear to American shores. They took some of that cash and bought the Knob & Kettle Ranch in the Blackfoot Valley, Montana. The 1,185-acre ranch is now back on the market, asking $9.5M. The structures on the property are surprisingly modest, at least compared to some on this list, but are exceedingly well kept.
? Should there ever be such a competition, the prize for best heiress name might very well be won by Dodo Hamilton. She might be nicknamed after an extinct bird, but there's nothing extinct about her billion-dollar fortune, which she inherited from her grandfather, the man behind Campbells Soup. Philadelphia-based Hamilton is getting on in age and has decided to part ways with her longtime summer home, the Irving Gill-designed "cottage" that was featured as a House of the Day in September. Listed for $15.75M, the 8,200-square-foot mansion, known as WIldacre, was restored to its Gilded Age glory by the soup heiress.
? Newer money food heiresses also seem to have a taste for large and extravagant homes, like the over-the-top mansion purchased by In-and-Out Burger owner Lynsi Martinez from major league slugger Adrian Beltre. Located in Bradbury, Calif., east of Los Angeles, the 16,000-square-foot Mediterranean features "basketball and tennis courts, a small golf course, a putting green, a 1,300-square-foot pool cabana with its own kitchen, a tricked-out home gym, a 20-seat outdoor movie theater, and, naturally, a batting cage." Beltre made out quite well in the deal. He bought the house for $3.425M in '06 and sold it to Martinez for a whopping $17.4M.
? Papa John's founder and CEO John "Papa" Schnatter has taken a political stand, claiming that Obamacare would cost his company 15 to 20 cents more per pizza. While that might be a convincing argument from a business perspective, he's not going to be winning any popular support once the public catch wind of his massive mansion. The 40,000-square-foot pile sits on 16 acres in Kentucky, with a 22-car garage, a limo turntable, and a carriage house that's more than twice the size of the average American home.
· 18 Porchuck Rd [Zillow]
· The Sweet Montana Ranch That Gummy Bears Built [Curbed National]
· Campbell Soup Heiress Lists Stunning Newport 'Cottage' [Curbed National]
· Adrian Beltre's Glitzy Manse Finally Sells to Burger Heiress [Curbed National]
· Here Now, the Utterly Bonkers Manse That Papa John's Built [Curbed National]
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