HOWARD SCHULTZ

Born in 1953 in the Bayview housing projects in Canarsie, Brooklyn. His dad drove a delivery truck, broke his ankle on the job, and had no health insurance.

That memory shaped everything Schultz later built.

Got a football scholarship to Northern Michigan University — first in his family to attend college. After graduating in 1975, he sold Xerox machines door to door.

Then moved to a Swedish kitchenware company where he noticed a tiny Seattle outfit called Starbucks ordering an unusual number of drip coffee makers.

He flew out to investigate. Walked into the original Pike Place Market Starbucks in 1981 and fell in love.

Joined as head of marketing in 1982 when they had four stores selling only beans — no brewed coffee. In 1983, he went to Milan and had his eureka moment.

There were 200,000 espresso bars in Italy. Nobody was doing this in America.

He pitched the cafe concept to the founders. They said no.

So he quit and started Il Giornale in 1985. Two years later, the founders wanted out.

Schultz bought all six Starbucks stores for $3.8 million. Grew to 1,000 stores by 1996.

Took it public that year. Stepped down in 2000, came back in 2008 during the recession, closed 7,100 stores for one afternoon to retrain baristas.

Revenue nearly tripled over the next decade. Briefly ran for president in 2019, came back as CEO a third time in 2022 during the union fight, and handed off in 2023.

Starbucks is the whole story. Schultz turned it into the "third place" concept — not home, not work, the third place where you hang out.

He popularized the idea that a coffee shop is a community hub, not just a caffeine stop. Beyond Starbucks, he led a group that bought the Seattle SuperSonics in 2001 and invested in several consumer brands through his family office.

But make no mistake — this is a one-company guy. Everything he is comes from those green aprons.

Schultz isn't really an investor. He's an operator who happens to be rich.

When he puts money to work, it's almost always in consumer brands he can understand — things people eat, drink, or experience. He backs founders and stories, not spreadsheets.

His entire career was one bet: people will pay more for a premium experience, even for something as basic as coffee. That bet worked so well he never needed another one.

Buying Starbucks for $3.8 million in 1987. That one deal turned into a company worth over $100 billion at its peak.

The stock went from about $17 at its 1992 IPO to over $100 by 2019. His 2008 comeback was almost as impressive — he returned to a company in crisis, closed thousands of stores, retrained every employee, and rebuilt it to record highs.

The stock went from $7.83 in late 2008 to triple digits.

Selling the Seattle SuperSonics. Schultz bought the NBA team in 2001 for $200 million, sold to an Oklahoma City group in 2006 for $350 million.

The team became the Thunder. Seattle lost its NBA franchise, and the city has never forgiven him.

His third CEO return in 2022 was also controversial — he came back mainly to fight unionization and left the company in a messy leadership transition. The stock dropped 20% during that stretch.

Brands win by earning emotional loyalty, not by being the cheapest. Schultz is obsessed with the customer experience — every cup of coffee is a personal interaction.

He was one of the first CEOs to offer health insurance and stock options to part-time workers, back when that was considered insane. His logic: invest in people first, returns follow.

Growth should never compromise the soul of the company. He's repeated that line roughly ten thousand times.

Married to Sheri Kersch Schultz since 1982. Two kids: Jordan and Addison.

Sheri is an interior designer who helped design early Starbucks store concepts. The family keeps a low profile compared to other billionaires.

Schultz has talked publicly about how his father's injury — and having no safety net — drove his obsession with employee benefits at Starbucks.

Grew up in Canarsie, Brooklyn, in the Bayview housing projects. Football scholarship to Northern Michigan University — first in his family to attend college.

Graduated 1975 with a communications degree. No MBA, no finance background.

He learned business selling Xerox machines door to door.

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