He owns L&S Family Entertainment LLC, which operates a chain of bowling centers in Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, and Indiana.

Schmittou was later hired to serve as the Vice President of Marketing for the Texas Rangers Major League Baseball (MLB) team from 1983 to 1986.

[13] From 1971 to 1974, he led the Vanderbilt Commodores baseball team to win four consecutive Southeastern Conference (SEC) East Division titles.

[19] The Metro Parks Board agreed to lease to Schmittou the site of Nashville's former softball fields on the grounds of Fort Negley, an American Civil War fortification, approximately two miles (3.2 km) south of downtown, for a period of 20 years as long as he built a stadium with a minimum capacity of 6,500 at a cost of at least $400,000 within 10 years.

[20] Stoll-Reed Architects advised Schmittou that construction of a suitable stadium would cost between $300,000 and $500,000,[20][21] but bids for the project ranged from $980,000 to $1.2 million.

[20] Schmittou looked to local suppliers to donate construction materials, took out a $30,000 loan from a bank, sold season tickets in advance of having a team, and even mortgaged his own home to help pay for the facility.

[22] Having secured a stadium, Schmittou and general manager Farrell Owens attended the 1976 Winter Meetings in hopes of landing a major league affiliate.

[25][26] Nashville's original logo, which was used from 1978 into 1998, and was initially sketched by Schmittou, reflected the city's association with the country music industry.

[29][30] Schmittou and his team developed a promotional calendar that regularly featured giveaways ranging from T-shirts and trading cards to youth baseball equipment and even a player's used 1969 Buick Electra.

[37] His desire to land a Triple-A team was part of a larger plan to put Nashville in a position to contend for a Major League Baseball franchise in the future.

With the city prepared to welcome a National Football League franchise, the Tennessee Titans, Schmittou felt that revenue would be drawn away from his baseball team, so he and businessman Walter Nipper sold their 59 percent stake in the Sounds to Chicago-based businessmen Al Gordon, Mike Murtaugh, and Mike Woleben for an estimated $4 million.

[43] A one-year management arrangement was decided upon wherein Schmittou and the Sounds' staff would be responsible for taking care of the Southern League team.

[45][46] By the end of the season, a deal was reached to relocate the Xpress to Lexington, Kentucky, but the team owner was unable to get a new ballpark built in that city.

[43] After the failed attempt to relocate the team to Lexington, and even Bayamón, Puerto Rico, the Xpress left for Wilmington, North Carolina, after the 1994 season, becoming the Port City Roosters in 1995.

[47] In addition to the Nashville Sounds, Huntsville Stars, and Winston-Salem Spirits, Schmittou also owned the Daytona Beach Islanders, Eugene Emeralds, Greensboro Hornets, Salem Redbirds, Salt Lake City Gulls, and Wichita Pilots/Wranglers.

[48] From 1983 to 1986, Schmittou served as the Vice President of Marketing for the Texas Rangers Major League Baseball (MLB) club.

[49] In November 1985, Schmittou headed a delegation from Nashville that was one of 12 groups to make presentations to MLB owners and commissioner Peter Ueberroth regarding the viability of expansion in their cities.

[50] The Governor's Commission on Major League Baseball entrusted Schmittou and other Sounds owners with ownership of a potential franchise and responsibility for the financial requirement set forth by the expansion committee.

[57] Along with the submission of a 120-page proposal, the committee was shown a video narrated by Country Music Hall of Fame member Eddy Arnold, which extolled the suitability of a Nashville for a major league team.

[60] In 1981, Schmittou led a group that brought minor league ice hockey back to Nashville at Municipal Auditorium.

[62] Schmittou formed Strike & Spare Family Entertainment LLC, which operates a chain of 15 bowling centers in Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, and Indiana, in August 2000.