Leamington pizza king spreads his dough to charities close to his heart

By Pat Bailey

Like his pizza (light sauce, cheese and pepperoni) — he's nothing fancy.

He's the one that can be found at The Athletic Club in Kingsville working out regularly — phones at the ready in case of an important call, text or email.

Balding, gravelly voice, Mike Schlater blends in with the crowd — a regular at the Leamington Flyers' games, alongside his 11-year-old son Jonathan.

And when the Flyers record a win at home, Jonathan wastes no time in heading to the Flyers' dressing room, Domino's coupons in hand.

For the CEO of Domino's Canada, Mike Schlater, it's just a little thing that gives his son a chance to mingle with the players, and gives the players a free pizza.

And this year, Schlater expanded his role with the Flyers to feeding them on six roadtrips when they are in a town that boasts a Domino's franchise.

"It's a change for the players," said Schlater from his waterfront home on his 51st birthday, "they each get their own pizza, with whatever they like on it, to eat on the ride home."

He remembers when he was their age — about the age when he began delivering Domino's pizzas in Ohio.

Schlater's come a long way since then — from delivering pizzas to owning the rights to 353 Domino's franchises in Canada.

While Schlater can sit back now in his luxurious home, chauffeured around by a personal driver, he remembers his humble beginnings.

With five brothers and sisters and a father who never made over $20,000 a year, Schlater knows what it's like to live from paycheque to paycheque.

He opened his first Domino's franchise in Winnipeg May 12, 1983 and owned the rights of all 10 stores in the Winnipeg area.

By 2001 he had accumulated 57 stores throughout Canada but when problems arose in the United States, Schlater was asked return to help out.  To read more go to www.leamingtonpostandshopper.com.