WICHITA — Seven years after coming to Wichita to lead Optima Bus, Michael Monteferrante is leaving to work for the same company that used to own Optima.
American Capital has hired Monteferrante to be CEO of Future Food in Carrollton, Texas.
“It’s pretty interesting,” Monteferrante says of his career path. “From subway cars to locomotives to buses to real estate to food.”
Monteferrante was with Optima until American Capital sold it in 2006. He then joined Occidental Management as CEO.
“It’s been a lot of fun,” says Occidental chairman Gary Oborny.
He expected this to happen, though.
“Just because of his . . . business experience it would be difficult to keep him in Wichita very long,” Oborny says. “Not a lot of companies can compete with those larger national companies when they come calling. You can’t match what they offer.”
Future Foods has two major brands: Santa Barbara Bay, which includes spreads and dips, and Salads of the Sea, which has things like “krab” dip.