PROFESSIONAL PROFILE
Mr. Schmitt has broad-based experience as in-house counsel for both large and small companies. Prior to joining The General Counsel Ltd., Mr. Schmitt was a corporate attorney for The Pillsbury Company, and Pillsbury affiliates, for over 16 years. Joining Pillsbury in 1985, he was a member of the legal team that was responsible for mergers, acquisitions, and finance matters. In 1990, Schmitt became Vice President and General Counsel of ALPO Pet Foods, a Pillsbury affiliate located in Allentown, Pennsylvania. He was ALPO’s first in-house lawyer and was responsible for all of the company’s legal matters, including antitrust counseling, advertising review and approval, food labeling, commercial transactions, employment matters, real estate, litigation management, and contract negotiation and drafting. Mr. Schmitt was a member of ALPO’s management committee and counseled clients on both legal and business matters. In late 1994, Schmitt was a member of the team that sold ALPO to Nestle USA.

In 1995, Schmitt returned to Pillsbury as Vice President and General Counsel, Pillsbury Specialty Brands. In this assignment, he was responsible for the legal work for a business unit with over $1 Billion in sales. The business’s primary brands were Old El Paso Mexican, Progresso Soups and Haagen Dazs Ice Cream. During this time he continued to provide legal counsel on a wide range of business and corporate matters. Major projects included—divesting numerous non-strategic business units; relocating and integrating two major business units into Pillsbury’s Minneapolis headquarters; and reducing outside counsel expenses by over $500,000 per year.

From 1997 to 2001, Mr. Schmitt was Vice President and General Counsel of Pillsbury North America. During this time, he served on the management committee of Pillsbury North America, the Pillsbury Risk Management Committee, and the management committee of The Pillsbury Company. Mr. Schmitt was a key member of the CEO’s team that developed and executed the strategy to ensure the successful sale of Pillsbury to General Mills in November of 2001. Other major projects included—divesting non-strategic businesses; acquiring a $200 Million strategic business unit; entering into a $750 Million joint venture for the sale and manufacture of ice cream products; managing and settling complex commercial disputes and avoiding costly litigation.
Prior to joining Pillsbury in 1985, Mr. Schmitt worked for a Fortune 500 company located in Decatur, Illinois, and was in private practice in Iowa.

EDUCATION
Juris Doctor, with distinction, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 1979. Student Editor, Moot Court Board, 1978-79.

BA, summa cum laude, Drake University, Des Moines, IA, 1976. Phi Beta Kappa.

BAR ADMISSIONS
Minnesota
Pennsylvania
Illinois
Iowa

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS
American Corporate Counsel Association
Minnesota State Bar Association
Hennepin County Bar Association

IN-HOUSE COUNSEL EXPERIENCE
Pillsbury North America
ALPO Pet Foods
A. E. Staley Manufacturing

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