SIMPLY HOLAHAN

JOHN L HOLAHAN III,
PRESIDENT AND FOUNDER
OF SIMPLYTHICK, LLC

Hi!  I'm John.  I'm naturally curious, which led me to a career as an inventor. 

Here's a little more about me and why I created this website. 

I graduated from the University of Minnesota with a Bachelors in Paper Science and Engineering in 1992.  After graduation I worked for Kelco – a thickener company owned by Merck and eventually sold to Monsanto – where I became an expert in several industrial thickeners.  
 
After a layoff, I decided to go back for my MBA at Washington University in St. Louis, MO.  While attending the Executive MBA program, I had a class project that required me to develop a business plan.
My background in food thickeners, led me to suggest a food and beverage thickener that would solve many of the problems currently faced with starch thickeners on the market.  After research trials with hospitals, speech therapists, and dietitians, I was convinced this product was needed to help better the lives of those living with dysphagia. 
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Upon graduation in 2001, I founded SimplyThick, LLC and our proprietary thickener - SimplyThick. 
We have now sold over 2 billion servings. 
 
Over the years, I have presented to various long term care trade organizations on the topics of IDDSI, dysphagia, thickeners, and rheology. 
 
I am also a co-author of Modern Dysphagia Cooking, written with Laurie Berger, Paul Haefner and Nancy Yezzi. It is the first cookbook built around IDDSI, the International Dysphagia Diet Standardisation Initiative, with more than 100 home-tested recipes for caregivers cooking at the Pureed, Level 4, Minced & Moist, Level 5 and Soft & Bite-Sized, Level 6 diets. You can learn more about the book at moderndysphagiacooking.com.
 
If you have questions about the book, or anything else on this site, send me a note at john.holahan@simplythick.com.
 
All of these elements brought me to create the Simply Holahan website.  
I invite you to explore my site, opinions, learn about my passions, and share your thoughts as well.