China’s very own world class figure skating show is back.

Taking the ice for a second year are Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo, the Chinese Olympic gold medalists who exchanged vows during last year’s debut of Artistry on Ice presented by the Artistry brand and Amway China.

Inspired by the television series Sex and the City starring actress Sarah Jessica Parker, the pair will skate to a newly themed “Art and City” show.

Earlier today at the Trends Night Event in Shanghai, Amway China shared the news that Parker will be the spokesperson for both Artistry on Ice and the Artistry Intensive Skincare Renewing Peel exclusively in the Greater China Region from September 2011-February 2012.

Artistry on Ice kicked-off earlier this week in Beijing and will continue on to performances in  Shanghai and Taipei.

Soweto, just outside of Johannesburg, is home to more than 3 million people and is the most populous black community in South Africa.

Now Amway lives there, too.

Amway recently opened two Mobile Sales Centres (MSCs) so that Soweto residents – many of whom struggle with the availability of affordable transportation – do not have to commute long distances to see and test Amway products, learn about the business and receive training.

MSCs are a combination of an expo hall and meeting rooms that are modular. They’re designed to live in one location for as long as necessary, but can easily be moved.

Soweto’s MSCs are located in areas that are hubs of business and entrepreneurship, but they did cover uncharted territory.

“When we requested permission to open these facilities, it became clear to us that the city had never received a formal application by a company wishing to respect all local laws and comply with water safety, emergency and other procedures,” said Amway South Africa’s  External Affairs Manager Makhaya Manie.

Other companies simply set up shop. In what may seem like a small gesture, Amway waited. Doing it right took two years, but now that the ball is rolling, the vision is to place 90 MSCs in black communities all over South Africa. Residents will be able to walk or cycle to them and they’re intended for much more than selling.

“The goal is to give people a place to gather, discuss community needs, watch broadcasts of important local, provincial or national events and more,” said Manie.

In other words, we plan to be a good neighbor.

Amway’s U.S. offices and world headquarters are closed Friday, July 1, and Monday, July 4 in celebration of the U.S. Independence Day holiday.

We wish our employees, distributors and friends a safe and happy holiday weekend.

And for those spending Indpendence Day in West Michigan, we invite you to join us for the Amway 4th of July Family Fireworks Celebration at Grand Rapids’  Ah Nab Awen Park Monday evening.  There will be music, children’s activities, and of course, fireworks to celebrate America’s independence.

When the Amway 50th anniversary exhibit at the Grand Rapids Public Museum closed in December 2010, people asked where it would appear next.

As of today, this telling of the story of Amway has come home.

Amway Chairman Steve Van Andel today dedicated Amway Heritage Hall, which captures much of the original exhibit at our world headquarters.   

Steve said one of his favorite elements is a collection of letters  his father Jay Van Andel wrote to Rich DeVos when the future Amway co-founders were serving in the Armed Forces.   In these letters,  “Dad talked about what they were going to do and the businesses they were going to start” after their service ended.

As Steve told a group of employees today, the exhibit “commemorates the journey Dad and Rich took more than 50 years ago.”

In the case of the exhibit, its journey ends as it comes home to Amway to stay.

Today, Amway was proud to host the Quaeris Unconference, an open and frank discussion on attracting and retaining a new generation of  young talent with West Michigan mayors (pictured, left to right) Gary Nelund of Norton Shores, George Heartwell of Grand Rapids and Kurt Dykstra of Holland.

Quaeris was founded in 2010 to promote West Michigan as a place where business thrives and people want to live and work. Quaeris means, “to seek,” and the name stems from the Michigan state motto, “If you seek a pleasant peninsula, look about you.”

Amway President Doug DeVos started the Unconference by encouraging participants to turn today’s dialogue into real action. “I’ve lived here all my life. I love it here, but there is one thing I know: we could do better,” said DeVos, who believes West Michigan can make people feel more welcome; encourage them to get involved in public service; and ensure our college graduates stay here to make a living and make a difference.

Amway also concluded the Unconference with a presentation on attracting and retaining GenY by Laura Davis, who directs employee engagement and talent acquisition for Amway. Here, more than 100 interns from 50-plus universities enter the doors each year. And 33 percent of them become full-time employees. According to Davis, creating a sense of belonging for GenY is one critical component to building their employer loyalty.

In between DeVos and Davis, ideas like clustering, investing in urban cores and communicating the diversity of experiences available within an easily commutable distance in West Michigan were heard.

Fireworks, a parade and musical talent — our 4th of July celebration has it all!

Announced this morning, Florida pop-punk band We the Kings and up-and-coming country singer Ashley Gearing will perform at the Amway 4th of July Family Fireworks celebration on the evening of Monday, July 4.

The free and family-friendly Independence Day celebration will kick off at 5 p.m. with a parade featuring former U.S. Congressman Vern Ehlers as grand marshal. Live music at both Ah Nab Awen Park and Rosa Parks Circle will precede the fireworks display at 10:30 p.m. with We the Kings to perform immediately following.

We look forward to seeing you there!

All season long the A.C. Milan soccer team has been putting the ball in the back of the net. Enough times to win the 2011 Serie A Championship.

Each goal they scored this year carried a little extra significance. Every time it happened, Nutrilite’s Goal by Goal campaign donated $2500 to fund the construction of a new sports center in the Poggioreale area of Naples.

The center and new soccer pitch was inaugurated last Thursday. A.C. Milan player Gianluca Zambrotta was there to cut the tape and kick the first ball across the field into the net, surrounded by dozens of schoolkids while doing so. 

Everyone scored on this goal!

Visit our Facebook page to see more photos from the event And read more on Amway Europe’s YourBeauty Blog and on the A.C. Milan website.

This year’s festivities will include a parade and children activities in addition to the traditional celebration at Ah Nab Awen Park.

Inspired by Amway, the Michigan Lottery, AT&T and Spartan Stores also committed their support over several years, according to Ed Kettle, executive director of the annual event.

The announcement came at a Grand Rapids City Commission meeting during which Amway Grand Plaza President Joe Tomaselli announced the hotel will sponsor the winter 2011-2012 Rosa Parks Circle Ice Skating Rink.

“Rosa Parks Circle has become the Rockefeller Center of Grand Rapids, where residents come to spend time together and have fun,” he told the Commission.

We’re proud to support two of the many reasons people are going downtown.  Whether it’s families watching the fireworks on a balmy Fourth of July or kids lacing up their skates on a chilly January day.

Amway Korea is celebrating its 20th anniversary by commemorating the grand opening of a new Amway Brand Experience center this week in Seoul.

The new brand space is the latest in a series of innovative programs designed to bring our health and beauty products to the attention of consumers, in support of the hundreds of thousands of distributors who market  them in South Korea.

After 20 years in Korea, Amway and its product brands are well-known and respected.   

Which is why we think the prospects for Amway’s future in Korea are just grand.

When Jay Van Andel and Rich DeVos founded Amway, they had no way of knowing that their idea of personal and economic freedom would seize the hearts and minds of people from such different backgrounds and such faraway places.

And when TED – which stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design – held its first conference in 1984, something similar happened. Its mission was simple: to spread ideas. The organizers had no idea it would become a global phenomenon.

That’s why it’s so fitting that yesterday – as TEDx events took place in cities from Santiago, Chile to Luzern, Switzerland – Amway was one of the companies that sponsored the first one in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Attendees heard from internationally recognized innovation and creativity expert George Gabor Burt on finding the path to meaningful innovation. Entrepreneur, filmmaker and author Steven Rosenbaum gave insight on finding, curating and delivering powerful content.

Perhaps our favorite was Cascade Engineering’s Christina Keller on creating true social change via government, industry and not-for-profit collaborations. Amway was a partner in Keller’s case study on the Hyrdaid Biosand Water Filter and its impact on Haitian and Honduran families.

The TED organization believes passionately in the power of ideas to change attitudes, lives and ultimately, the world.

We know exactly where they’re coming from – and are happy to help them get where they’re going.