Michael B. Schott

SCHOTT--Michael B., Beverage Industry Exec, dies at 59. Michael Bennett Schott, age 59, died on March 24, 2008 after a valiant battle with brain cancer. Born in Cincinnati, OH, in 1948, to the late Cincinnati Police Chief Jacob Schott and his wife Dollie, Michael leaves behind his wife Evonne Stevenson Schott; his children, Kyle Louise, Chicago, John Chapin, Boston, Margaret Condon, San Francisco, Leslie Kathleen, Los Angeles, and Mark Edmund, Santa Cruz, CA; siblings Barbara Boyd (Jack Boyd, late), Jacksonville, FL, Jacob Schott (Donna), Cleveland, OH, and; step-children Samuel Joseph Stevenson and Thomas Scott Stevenson, Grosse Pointe Woods, MI. Mike graduated from Western Hills High School and was named All-American for his football prowess. Mike attended Ohio University on a full football scholarship and excelled not only on the field but in the classroom as well. After leading his team to an undefeated season and the 1968 Tangerine Bowl, he was inducted into the Ohio University Hall of Fame. Dr. Vernon Alden, then president of Ohio University and former Associate Dean of Harvard Business School, became Mike's mentor, guiding his decision to pursue a Masters in Business Administration at Harvard Business School rather than a professional football career. After graduation from Harvard in 1972, Mike began his career and eventual rise as the industry king in the beverage world. He returned to Cincinnati, with NuMaid Margerine where he met and married Roberta Louise Condon. As newlyweds they moved to the New York metro area and Mike began working for Pepsi Bottling Co. He eventually became president of Poland Spring Water, holding the position until the company's purchase by Perrier. Upon the sale of Poland, Mike moved back to Cincinnati, to be a partner in the Hudepohl Schoenling Brewing Co. In Cincinnati, Mike's family grew to five beautiful children. Not long after the birth of their youngest child, the family moved to Detroit where Mike turned his efforts to Don Lee Distributor. Within a year, the talented entrepreneur was tapped to launch AriZona Iced Tea. At AriZona, Mike further demonstrated his ability to improve operations and manage rapid sales growth in the beverage industry. He was quickly promoted into senior management at Nantucket Nectars, Snapple, SoBe, Everfresh, and others, eventually becoming the lynchpin in building Monster Energy, the backbone of the unprecedented growth of Hansen Beverage Company. During Mike's five years with Hansen, the company was named by Forbes Magazine as the number one small company in the U.S. in 2005 and 2006. In 2005, Mike Schott married Evonne Stevenson. Too soon thereafter, in October 2006, Mike was diagnosed with a Stage Four GBM brain tumor. Mike's work ethic and determination to succeed now faced an even greater challenge. He used this tragic turn of events as an opportunity to move medical science forward. Mike was a man who put his time, effort, and financial resources into supporting projects he felt would benefit the greater good. While his battle with cancer was eventually lost, the medical progress he forged with Genentech Inc. will continue to fight for those suffering from similar ailments for years to come. Mike was known for his work ethic based on his favorite sayings including attitude is everything, persistence and determination alone are omnipotent and from those to whom much is given, much is expected. His legacy will continue to grow through the Michael B. Schott Fund at the Hermelin Brain Tumor Center at the Henry Ford Health System, Detroit, MI.