Van Andel and DeVos made a pact in high school to become business entrepreneurs together. They started a flying school and opened a drive-in restaurant. In 1949 DeVos and Van Andel became distributors of vitamins for the Nutrilite Company of California. However, increasing government regulations and an internal conflict in Nutrilite led Van Andel, DeVos, and several other leading Nutrilite distributors to start their own venture.
Eventually, from the basement of their homes, Van Andel and DeVos founded Amway. In 1959, Amway launched a business model fueled by the power of relationships. The first product—Liquid Organic Cleaner or L.O.C.™—was one of the first biodegradable and environmentally conscious cleaning products.
The company rapidly expanded. The first full year of operations in 1960 resulted in gross sales of $500,000. That figure doubled in each of the next two years, and in 1964 it reached $10 million. In 1962, Amway opens its first international office in London, Ontario, Canada.
Since 1995, Steve Van Andel, the oldest son of Jay Van Andel, and Doug DeVos, the son of Richard DeVos, co-chair Amway’s board of directors. In 2013, Amway is ranked as the world’s #1 direct selling business in the Direct Selling News Global 100, based on 2012 global sales of $11.3 billion.
Today, Amway is the most popular multi-level marketing (MLM) company in the world. The company sold $8.4 billion worth of products in 2019.
History of Amway
