It started with two friends: Amway’s humble origins

The main campus of Amway World Headquarters in Ada, Michigan, spans more than a mile long, with 3.2 million square feet of research labs, manufacturing, warehousing and office space. A nearby campus is undergoing renovations to add even more manufacturing to the mix in addition to global manufacturing sites in India and China.

An operation of that size isn’t surprising for a multibillion dollar company that operates in more than 100 countries and territories, but it is in stark contrast to Amway’s origin.

More than 60 years ago, Amway was an idea brought to life by longtime friends Rich DeVos and Jay Van Andel. They started the company in the basements of their homes, not far from the current world headquarters. They were looking for an opportunity to own their own business and help others do the same and they saw direct selling as a way to accomplish that.

Now Amway is the number one direct selling company in the world, with over 350 innovative, high quality nutrition, beauty, fitness and home products that are sold to customers by the more than 1 million Amway Independent Business Owners (IBOs) across the globe.

Generations of Amway family ownership

From the beginning, Amway was a family operation. Rich’s wife, Helen, and Jay’s wife, Betty, were there from the start helping to grow the business. Their children were put to work, as well, many going on to hold leadership positions within the company.

Today, Amway is still a family business, privately owned by the DeVos and Van Andel families. Rich’s son Doug and Jay’s son Steve serve as co-chairmen of the Amway Board of Directors and several of the founders’ grandchildren work at the company.

Steve and Doug affirmed in a recent video interview that they want to keep Amway ownership in the family. “We’re all headed in that direction,” Steve said. “Not only the second generation, but the third generation and I think even beyond that, now.”

“Dad and Jay had always talked about having a business of their own, and in our families, we always talk about maintaining this as a private, family-held business,” Doug added. “We continue to be committed to this business … and excited about the future and where we’re going.”

Generations of Amway Independent Business Owners

Amway isn’t only a family business for the founding families. The Amway opportunity outlines a process for an Amway business to be passed down from one generation to the next, allowing for multiple generations to become business owners.

Many IBOs are the second or third generation in their family to own their own Amway™ business with plans to pass it on to the fourth. That includes some of the first families to join Rich and Jay when Amway was founded.

Amway careers: Employee stories

Many people have multiple family members who also have worked at Amway across generations, fueled by the same Amway community experienced by IBOs. That extends to the 14,000 Amway employees worldwide, including 3,300 in the U.S., whether they are in product research and development, manufacturing, warehousing, distribution or training.

“What makes Amway so connected across the globe all comes back to our values: freedom, family, hope and reward,” said Oliva DeVos Griffioen, a talent development specialist at Amway world headquarters. “These are things that resonate across countries, across cultures. So, it doesn’t matter if you’re here in Ada or you’re across the world. You have that sense of home.”

Patricia Sundman, manager of customer service training and quality assurance, has worked in various departments over her 17-year Amway career and said that when a company cares about you and you feel supported and cared for by your colleagues, you are more likely to want to stay long term.

“This is a community,” she said. “It really does feel like coming home.”

Decades of innovation – from organic farming to traceability

Amway takes pride in its high quality products, solutions and programs that are backed by decades of research and development and quality control procedures that go above and beyond.

While Amway was founded in 1959, its Nutrilite™ brand was founded in 1934 by Carl Rehnborg who insisted on controlling every aspect of the growing process – from seeds to final harvest – for all the plants used in his supplements.

Those high expectations continue today. Amway owns and operates nearly 6,000 acres of certified organic farmland in the U.S., Mexico and Brazil. And its detailed traceability standards allow researchers to trace the entire journey of a botanical ingredient—from the specially selected seed planted in a specific plot on the farm, all the way to the supplement that sits in a consumer’s cupboard.

Amway also has a staff of more than 640 scientists, engineers and technicians who are committed to continuous innovation, leading to pioneering product development and groundbreaking industry collaborations. The company has more than 750 patents and patents pending.

Amway’s philanthropic impact

Amway’s commitment to helping people live better lives extends to philanthropy and volunteerism in the communities where its employees and IBOs work and live.

The company has a long history of supporting the U.S. Dream Academy, which connects the children of incarcerated parents with nurturing mentors and afterschool programs to help build character, skills and dreams. Amway, its employees and IBOs have also contributed more than $3.8 million USD to Easterseals®†, which serves 1.5 million children and adults with disabilities. And the company recently wrapped up the global Nutrilite Power of 5 campaign focused on raising awareness of childhood malnutrition in the first five years of life.

In its latest announcement, Amway committed $1.2 million over three years to support anti-hunger initiatives of the YMCA of the USA. Amway has long been a supporter of the YMCA mission in West Michigan. This contribution expands on that, helping to build stronger, healthier communities across the country.

Amway IBOs and employees support smaller, local organizations in their own communities, too, including personal foundations, scholarships, nature cleanups, food preparation and packaging, workplace organization, general maintenance and playground building.

Want to learn more? Visit WeAreAmway.com.

†Easterseals® is a registered trademark of Easter Seals, Inc.