In 1969, when SHP began operations, Leland’s oldest son Jay was working fulltime at a bank in Fargo. Younger son Lee was still in school and helped his father as much as possible. Lee (now president of SHP) was actually the company’s first employee. Father and son began offering a line of basic nutritional Bodybuilding Supplements in the 1970s and, as more people found out about the quality, pricing and service offered by SHP, the company began to grow. In 1975 Jay Swanson quit his job at the local bank and joined his father and brother to help with the expanding business. “We went from zero customers in 1969 to about 30,000 by 1979,” Lee later noted.
