Jill Blashack Strahan

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Jill Blashack Strahan (born Dec. 1958) Founder and CEO of Tastefully Simple, Inc., a direct sales company based in Alexandria, Minnesota. Born and raised on a farm in rural Minnesota, Jill went on to graduate from Alexandria Technical College with two separate Associate's Degree in sales and marketing. Jill started a gift-basket business, Care with Flair, that would later be the catalyst to founding Tastefully Simple. After allowing attendees at a Holiday Crafter's Tour to sample the gourmet food products contained within her baskets, Jill realized the power of taste-testing. In 1995, she started Tastefully Simple, the original gourmet food home taste-testing party company. Along with $6,000 of her own money, she borrowed $20,000 from the SBA and received a $10,000 investment from business associate and silent partner Joani Nielson, who is now COO. A 1200 square-foot shed in Joani's backyard served as headquarters. Tastefully Simple has become a $138 million dollar company with tens of thousands of consultants selling easy-to-prepare gourmet food products at home taste-testing parties. It is listed as one of the fastest-growing privately held companies on INC 500. The headquarters employs over 350 people and by the end of 2007 there were over 25,000 independent consultants nationwide. Jill overcame many obstacles including the death of her husband and brother during the early years of the company. She has been remarried since 2005 and has a son, Zach.

[edit] Awards

  • Minnesota Business Hall of Fame-2006
  • Inc. magazine's list of CEO All-Stars-2005
  • Fast Company magazine's 25 Top Women Business Builders-2005
  • SBA Entrepreneurial Success Award-2004
  • Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year Finalist-2003
  • Ernst and Young Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year for Minnesota and the Dakotas- 2000