Gracious & Ruthless

When women were rarely decision makers in business or agriculture, Susan Sokol Blosser, a pioneer in the Oregon wine industry, distinguished herself in both. For over three decades, Susan managed every aspect of the Sokol Blosser Winery operation. As president, she saw Sokol Blosser grow to become one of the largest and most innovative Oregon wineries, with national and international distribution. Susan was a forerunner in instituting environmentally friendly business practices at Sokol Blosser and practicing the triple bottom line concept of people, planet, profit. With its certified organic vineyard, the first LEED certified winery building in the US, and business practices based on the Natural Step model of sustainability, the winery made social responsibility and its environmental ethic priorities, while still pursuing its vision of producing remarkable wines. Then, at the height of her career, she did something rare in family businesses -- she chose to transition control of the winery to her children. Not one to go quietly into retirement, Susan focused her energies on her local community, founding the Yamhill Enrichment Society (YES), which enriches Yamhill County with projects in education and the arts, food and agriculture, and history. Susan holds a B.A. from Stanford University, an M.A.T from Reed College and an Honorary Doctorate of Public Service from the University of Portland. She and her husband, Russ Rosner, Sokol Blosser’s Winemaker Emeritus, live in a home at the vineyard with three cats, eight chickens and a Tibetan Terrier.