MANNY MONTANEZ
PRESIDENT/CEO
MONTANEZ CONSTRUCTION INC.
WHY: Long time OC entrepreneur and executive. Was managing director at Metlife Capital with $1.2B in assets. Involved in wide variety of charities, including developing Children Hospital of Orange County and helping Gary Crisp host 500 Marines during annual Super Bowl party in Newport Beach. Is president of the Orange Coast Chapter of Legatus, a Catholic business owners group and is on the board of the Los Angeles Chapter of the National Latino Peace Officers Association.
NOTABLE: Vietnam vet who didn’t walk for a year while recuperating from war injuries. Was named in 2001 Orange County Council Boy Scout of America Man of Character and subsequently has served as the co-chair of the event. Orange County Veteran of the Year, 2014-15, SBA Santa Ana/Inland Empire District 2020 Veteran Business Champion of the Year.
QUOTABLE: “Montañez Adobe in San Juan Capistrano is a must see for visiting relatives and friends. It’s believed to be one of the original 40 adobes constructed by mission Indians in 1794. The Montañez Adobe was the home of Doña Polonia. Between 1886 and 1910, the Montañez Adobe gained spiritual significance following the secularization of the Mission. Doña Polonia created a tiny chapel in the adobe which became the village sanctuary. She was the spiritual leader for the community as well as the village midwife and nurse. I did an ancestry search and am related through my indigenous roots. In fact, my grandfather rode with Pancho Villa back in the day.” — Leader Board
