J Gary Shansby

J. Gary Shansby is the founder and chairman of Partida Tequila, a privately held premium Tequila company based in Newport Beach, California. As chairman, Gary provides the marketing vision, strategy, and brand building guidance for Partida Tequila. A noted brand builder, Gary co-founded a consumer goods private equity firm after serving as Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Shaklee Corporation. He has spent his career developing and marketing more than 50 household consumer brands such as Famous Amos Cookies, Mauna Loa Macadamias, La Victoria Mexican Foods, MetRx, Terra Chips, Voss Water, Pureology Hair Care Products, Vitamin Water, and Shaklee Nutritional Products. Gary brings his extensive brand-building experience to the spirits category with the goal of making Partida Tequila the most highly respected premium Tequila brand in the US and abroad. Gary has an intense love of Mexican culture, history and the tequila lifestyle, and owns a home in Careyes, Mexico. Gary was formerly the Chairman of the Board of Directors and CEO of Shaklee Corporation, and has over 40 years of experience with consumer products companies. During his years at Shaklee the company grew from a small family business with annual sales of less than $80 million to a Fortune 500 multinational corporation with annual sales of over $500 million. Prior to joining Shaklee, Gary was a partner in the management consulting firm of Booz, Allen & Hamilton where he was instrumental in developing their strategic planning and marketing strategy practice for consumer products clients. Earlier in his career, he held senior level general management, marketing, and acquisition and diversification positions with the Clorox Company, American Home Products Corporation (now Wyeth Corporation), and the Colgate-Palmolive Company. Gary has served on numerous business, education, and government boards and commissions, some of which include: Board of Trustees of The California State University, California Economic Development Corporation Board of Directors, San Francisco Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, Founding Chairman of the Lincoln Club of Northern California, and Chairman of the California State Commission to Review the Master Plan for Higher Education. In 1978, Gary endowed the J. Gary Shansby Chair in Marketing Strategy at the Graduate School of Business, The University of California, Berkeley. Gary received his B.A. from the University of Washington in 1959. In 2006, he endowed the J. Gary Shansby Chair in Marketing Strategy at the Graduate School of Business, The University of Washington, Seattle.