Alumnus of the Year

Mike Suco

President and CEO

Coca-Cola Bottling Company United, Inc.

Mike Suco is President and CEO of Coca-Cola Bottling Company United, Inc. (UNITED), the second largest privately held Coca-Cola bottler in North America and the third largest Coca-Cola bottler in the United States. Coca-Cola UNITED has more than 50 facilities throughout the southeast in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee, and employs more than 10,000 associates. 

Mike previously served as the company’s Senior Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer, responsible for national retail sales, marketing, on premise, revenue growth management and eCommerce. From 2016 to 2021, Mike served as Vice President of the company’s East Region, based in Atlanta, and was responsible for sales and distribution within the state of Georgia and more than $1 billion in revenues for Coca-Cola UNITED.  He also led the integration of the Atlanta market unit, Coca-Cola UNITED’s single largest territory acquisition, which was purchased from The Coca-Cola Company in 2017. More than 2,000 new associates and 13,000 new customers joined the Coca-Cola UNITED family during the integration.

Prior to that, Mike was based in Birmingham, Alabama, and served as Corporate Vice President of Operational Marketing and Commercial Leadership, developing and implementing channel, category and brand strategies for customers and consumers.

Mike began his career in The Coca-Cola System in 1996 as a Market Development Manager for The Coca-Cola Company.  In 2000, he joined Coca-Cola UNITED, the Birmingham-based, privately held company, where he has held numerous management positions over the past two decades.

Mike grew up in Jacksonville, Alabama, where his family moved after immigrating from Cuba to the United States in 1962. His grandfather was a professor at Miles College in Birmingham and his mother was a professor at Jacksonville State University for 43 years.

After graduating from Jacksonville State University with a bachelor’s degree in business administration, Mike joined The Ernest and Julio Gallo Winery in 1991. He began in the company’s distributor network in Ft. Myers, Florida as a front-line merchandiser and salesperson, and progressed to district sales manager, field marketing manager, area manager, and state manager over his five-year tenure.

Mike has a long history of community engagement, both in Birmingham and Atlanta, including leadership and board affiliations with Oglethorpe University, Fernbank Museum of Natural History, Georgia Beverage Association, Hispanic Business Council, Fiesta Hispanic Cultural Festival, YMCA of Greater Birmingham, The Boy Scouts of America and Petroleum and Convenience Marketers of Alabama.

Mike enjoys competing in marathons, triathlons and playing golf.  He and his wife Shelley have two children, Bella and Michael Jr., and reside in Birmingham.