Kriti Mehrotra
While there’s no denying there have been countless individuals who’ve taken on big corporations for one reason or another, John Leonard broke all bounds while doing the same in the 1990s. After all, as explored in Netflix’s ‘Pepsi, Where’s My Jet?’ his legal battle against the titular beverage firm was in his attempts to win the fighter craft they’d seemingly offered in an ad campaign. He was unfortunately ultimately unsuccessful in this endeavor, but it did open up new avenues for him — so now let’s find out more about his career trajectory as well as net worth, shall we?
How Did John Leonard Earn His Money?
Since John grew up in a relatively middle-class entrepreneurial household in West Washington, he realized quite early on “money was freedom” to him, especially considering his aspirations. The truth is he had actually fallen in love with mountains and traveled during his teenage years. Thus, he did his best to facilitate opportunities that would allow him to keep pursuing the same. In other words, he began working at a young age and never once gave up because he wanted his dreams/passions to match his finances — his mother even described him as a “go-getter.”
Therefore, just some of the jobs John held while also completing his education included newspaper boy, bike shop employee, food deliverer, window washer, glass cutter, and magazine seller. He gradually evolved into a climbing guide as well, which is how he first (in 1992) came across entrepreneur-investor Todd Hoffman, who actually ended up financing his Pepsi jet idea in 1996. The then 21-year-old community college business student had truly believed Pepsi’s deal of a jet in exchange for 7 million Pepsi points was legitimate, leading to the whole ordeal in the first place.
It was during the ensuing years that John found himself in the spotlight, giving print, radio, or television interviews almost daily to ensure there was a public opinion in connection to the matter. However, he did make it clear he didn’t want name or fame for himself in any way, shape, or form — he merely desired the Harrier fighter jet, as it’d ostensibly been promised in the television ad. “[Pepsi] brought the public light on this [by suing first],” he said. “My sole intention was to get the plane. I’m not trying to make a statement. I’m not looking for a settlement. I just want a plane.”
But alas, John lost both the legal case in 1999 and his appeal in 2000, following which he decided to move on by focusing purely on his innate passions of climbing mountains as well as travel. He hence began working as a backcountry ranger for Mount Rainier National Park in 1999 before going on to serve as a mountaineering ranger at Denali National Park in Alaska three years later. As of writing, though, it seems like the former chief ranger holds a promoted position at the DC Bureau of the National Park Service.
John Leonard’s Net Worth
Taking every aspect of John’s life into account, whether it be his early work, the legal proceedings, his profession, or his continued mountain expeditions, it appears as if he leads a comfortable life in Washington these days. The now 48-year-old is a family man as well, with a wife named Dottie and two growing children, so they also need to be considered in the overall mix when estimating his income spending and wealth. Therefore, per our best calculations, John Leonard’s net worth is in the $1 million range.
Read More: What is Todd Hoffman’s Net Worth?
