Experience: As the founder of Mrs. Gooch's Natural Foods Markets, Sandy Gooch created a successful chain of supermarkets dedicated to providing the finest food and health care products. After a life-threatening reaction to food chemicals, the only way Gooch could survive was to eliminate all additives from her diet. Difficulty locating a variety of natural foods motivated her to open the largest market of its kind, thus becoming the first woman to develop a supermarket chain in the United States. Operations expanded, larger stores opened, and a 90-million-dollar-a-year business developed. In 1993, Mrs. Gooch's was acquired by Whole Foods Markets, Inc. Designing, building, and refurbishing estate homes subsequently became Sandy's focus. Her successful real estate ventures have out-performed market trends, while managing to incorporate pro-environmental features. A lifetime educator, Gooch continues to inform the public about the interrelationship between sustainable environmental practices and the long-term health and viability of our planet. In 1995, Gooch developed the Healthy School Meals Program at Venice High School in Los Angeles. She currently serves on the advisory board for Growing Great, a foundation specializing in teaching students about eating and growing healthy food. Goochs's efforts are on a worldwide scale as she focuses on social, environmental,and health issues, including preventive lifestyle measures and holistic and complementary medicine modalities. Gooch is a member of the International Women's Forum (IWF), a worldwide organization of preeminent women of achievement.