Susan Sokol Blosser, Founder, Sokol Blosser Winery

Forward Stride is proud to honor Founder of Sokol Blosser Winery Susan Sokol Blosser as recipient of our 2008 Cowgirl of the Year Award. Her coronation will take place at The Cowgirl Ball on October 4, 2008. The Cowgirl of the Year is awarded to an outstanding Oregonian who demonstrates unfailing fortitude, uncommon gumption and a good dose of true grit. Our ideal cowgirl is a woman who has the vision to make the West a better place and enough pluck to roll up her sleeves and get the job done.

Susan Sokol Blosser is a modern-day pioneer. She was a pivotal force in the development of Oregon's wine-industry and helped usher in new economic prosperity to our state. How did she do it? Her mantra is Gracious & Ruthless, which is coincidentally the title of her new book. At the helm of a global business or driving a tractor through the hills, Susan has done an outstanding job of making the West a better place.

Susan and Bill Blosser, co-founders of Sokol Blosser Winery, were early pioneers of the Oregon wine industry, clearing the land and planting their first vines in 1971. Susan managed the vineyards from 1980-1990 and was President from 1991-2007, leading Sokol Blosser Winery to become one of the most respected and best-known Oregon wineries, with national and international distribution. Sokol Blosser’s signature wines include Pinot Noir; Pinot Gris; Evolution, a proprietary white blend of nine varietals; and Meditrina, a red blend named for the Roman goddess of wine and health.

Susan established herself as a leader in environmentally friendly winemaking, driving Sokol Blosser’s organic farming initiative and sustainable practices throughout the business. Sokol Blosser was the first winery certified “Salmon-Safe” when the program started in 1996, the first winery in the world to receive the U.S Green Building Council’s prestigious LEED certification in 2002, and one of very few vineyard-winery operations in Oregon to have achieved full USDA organic certification. In 2007, Sunset Magazine awarded Susan and Sokol Blosser “Green Winery of the Year.”

Susan helped shape the Oregon wine industry for 30 years, as a founder and board member of the International Pinot Noir Celebration; a board member of the Yamhill Country Wineries Association; a founder of the Oregon Chapter of Women for WineSense; a founding winery of Salud; a founder of the Oregon Wine Marketing Coalition; an officer of the Oregon Wine Advisory Board; and a founder and board member of Oregon Pinot Camp.

Her community activities (past and present) include: eight years on the Dayton School Board; a trustee of Marylhurst College; a founder and board member of the Oregon Chapter of Business for Social Responsibility; a director of the Oregon Environmental Council; a director of the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry; a member of the Key Bank Oregon District Advisory Board; a member of the Oregon Natural Step Board; an Oregon Trustee of the Nature Conservancy, and a member of the Oregon Women’s Forum.

Originally from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Susan holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Stanford University and a Master of Arts in Teaching from Reed College.

Susan has received an Honorary Doctorate of Public Service from the University of Portland, citing her entrepreneurship within the context of sustainability and community service, and two Lifetime Achievement awards from wine industry groups. Her first book At Home in the Vineyard: Cultivating a Winery, an Industry, and a Life, detailed the story of her business and the rise of the Oregon wine industry. Her second, Gracious & Ruthless: Surprising Strategies for Business Success, portrayed her business philosophy.