The man credited with turning Purchase-based PepsiCo into one of the largest and most influential American companies has died.

Spanning 23 years from the early '60s to his retirement in the mid-'80s, Donald Kendall turned a fledgling beverage company into a global giant. He was the president and CEO orchestrating PepsiCo's merger with chip company Frito-Lay.

In 1970, Kendall relocated PepsiCo's headquarters from Manhattan to a sprawling campus in Purchase.

Kendall died at his Greenwich, Connecticut, home over the weekend. He was 99 years old.

Marsha Gordon, at the Business Council of Westchester, met him once.

"He really embodied all that was good and positive about American business and corporate citizenship and corporate success," said Gordon.

PepsiCo's current president issued a statement saying in part, "All of us at PepsiCo are devastated by the passing of Don Kendall. He was relentless about growing our business, a fearless leader, and the ultimate salesman. Don may have left us for a better place, but he leaves us with an extraordinary legacy."

Kendall's love of art and the environment is on full display at PepsiCo's corporate headquarters in Purchase. Kendall was instrumental in designing the breathtakingly beautiful sculpture gardens.

The landscape features 45 sculptures hand-picked by Kendall and is open to the public.

Kendall is survived by his wife, children and great-grandchildren. His family did not announce a cause of death.