Derek Lewis’ corporate experience gave him the upper hand in becoming a franchisee.

Lewis had an extensive career at PepsiCo that spanned 35 years, and he managed multi-billion-dollar operations. He spent the first seven years in various sales roles before rising through the ranks to become Pepsi Bottling Group’s regional sales manager (2001–2004), followed by three separate vice president roles (2001-2008) and two senior vice president positions (2008-2019). He exited the company at the end of 2022 after serving as president of multicultural business at PepsiCo North America for one year.

Franchisee

Lewis is now occupied as a broken ground at Orlando’s Kia Center and Camping World Stadium, and most recently in Oviedo, FL.

Leslie Gray Photography

 

“We’re going to have some fun launching this business. I get to add some jobs, create some new excitement for people in town. So it’s the whole business proposition, spend time investing back in the community. And so I look at this as an end-to-end proposition while we’re going to have fun doing the work,” Lewis said on the “Black Tech Green Money” podcast hosted by AFROTECH™ Brand Manager Will Lucas.

“He and I always spoke about one day when I wasn’t in the business anymore and he decided to franchise he’d consider me for a store that was one store. He made me sign for more than one store to get it, but I’m excited about it. It’s a unique brand of food, a very tasty mouthwatering brand of food that you just can’t get in any sort of scale in this market,” Lewis mentioned.

Advice To Corporate Leaders

Lewis also shares advice for other corporate leaders considering entreprenuership. He believes his 35-year career at PepsiCo provided him with a wealth of transferable skills, along with valuable opportunities to network and learn from a diverse range of entrepreneurs. Although there are risks, he ultimately views the transition as an exciting opportunity.

“From a skill package, I think most corporate executives are built to do this, especially if they pick their passions and places they really, really care about and lean into. I think they’re going to find themselves to be set up for success. So I would encourage more people to take a look at it. Hopefully people can learn from what I’m doing. Take a page of my book,” he expressed.