Alexandria, MN - Fast Company magazine and the Women Presidents' Organization (WPO) announced recently that Tastefully Simple Founder & CEO Jill Blashack Strahan has been ranked #2 in the first-ever awards for the "Top 25 Women Business Builders." The awards were presented this month at the annual Women Presidents' Organization conference in Toronto.

"What a great honor it is to receive this award," Strahan said. "It has been a joy watching Tastefully Simple grow from a two-person start-up 10 years ago to a company where thousands of independent consultants - most of them women - are now living the lives they once only dreamed of."

Strahan's photo and brief profile appear in the May 2005 issue of Fast Company magazine, available mid-April at newsstands everywhere. The awards are a joint venture of Fast Company, a monthly publication showcasing individuals who are inventing the future and reinventing business, and the Women Presidents' Organization, dedicated to improving business conditions for women entrepreneurs.

Tastefully Simple is a national direct sales company offering a variety of easy-to-prepare gourmet foods and gifts. Marketing these items primarily through taste-testing parties in the home, independent consultants offer samples, easy meal ideas, recipes and serving suggestions.

Those interested in ordering products, attending a taste-testing party or learning more about starting a Tastefully Simple business of their own are invited to call the company's toll-free information line at 1.866.328.6673 or visit the company's website at www.tastefullysimple.com.