Mountain Town Olive Oil Selected for Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses National Initiative
Exclusive entrants to the GS10ksb will be the face of future small business leaders and entrepreneurship in America.
August, 15, 2013 – Park City, UT – According to Goldman Sachs, Chocolate Balsamic Vinegar & Chipotle Olive Oil mix quite well, especially with Jessica McCleary at the helm. In an auspicious moment for McCleary, CEO and Owner of Mountain Town Olive Oil, Goldman Sachs has selected her to participate in 10,000 Small Businesses; a philanthropic initiative that pledges $500 million in various aid to 10,000 small businesses nationally. McCleary will start the program in August at Salt Lake Community College, where she will receive over 100 hours of instruction along with networking events, legal and financial clinics, and other business assistance activities.
“Entrepreneurship runs in the family, when I was growing up my father had a number of different ventures in real estate, furniture and my personal favorite; gourmet foods” says McCleary. With a strong suite of experience; including stints at Papyrus, Wedgwood, Williams-Sonoma and the Sundance Catalog, McCleary was ready to take her business acumen, combine it with her love of food, cooking and health to fill a niche in the gourmet foods market in Utah. With a mission to provide the highest quality ingredients to enhance the eating experience, McCleary created a business model that meticulously curates a wide variety of gourmet foods including over 30 different extra virgin olive oils, 20+ balsamic vinegars, and dozens of herbs, spices and flavored salts imported from all over the world, distributing them from her stores under the private Mountain Town Olive Oil label. In addition the stores stock a large selection of dips, spreads, pastas, soups, mustards, teas, cocoas and more for the discerning foodie.
“Our stores are an experience, not just a place to complete a shopping list, and I believe this unique approach is what captured the attention of the GS10ksb program” In 2009 McCleary opened Mountain Town Olive Oil in Park City and in 2010 expanded to a second location at The Gateway in Salt Lake City. With this opportunity, McCleary hopes to refine her business model, expand operations and offer her insights to other small business owners, especially women. “To be one of the few women business owners chosen for this program, and be recognized as having strong business potential by a prestigious institution such as Goldman Sachs, is a tremendous honor”
Salt Lake Community College is one of 14 national partners in the GS10ksb initiative. The initiative began in 2009, offering $500 million annually to support and promote small business leaders and entrepreneurs.
Mountain Town Olive Oil was founded in 2009 to provide consumers with an extraordinary gourmet food experience, high levels of service, and an engaged staff providing product tasting, pairing and serving suggestions.