In Amway’s home state of Michigan, USA, residents know The People Mover as the railway that runs, elevated, along a 2.9-mile loop in Detroit’s central business district. But at this week’s Direct Selling Association Annual Meeting, completely different breeds of “people movers” took the stage. 

 First, DSA President Joe Mariano kicked off the Celebrate What’s Right theme with some exciting news:

Wow!  

Then, keynote speaker Daniel Pink presented research insights and memorable takeaways from his book “To Sell is Human: The Surprising Truth About Moving Others.” Pink believes that the best way to move others is to be yourself, a message that hits home in the world of direct selling, where people of every background can – and do – achieve.  

The DSA also welcomed new members, other companies that commit to the organization’s ethical business practices such as Sozo and Jillian Chase; celebrated the 40th anniversary of the Direct Selling Education Foundation; presented the 2013 Ethos Awards (Amway won in the Technology Innovation: Mobile Technology category.); and named incoming board members and committee chairpersons.  

The meeting’s final keynote speaker was 20-year National Geographic photographer and movie producer DeWitt Jones, who photographed the child above. Jones used his extraordinary photographs to illustrate balance, inspiration and answer-finding. His words and images were incredibly moving – as much so as the DSA parties, presentations and people themselves.

When Amway and Microsoft recently hosted an event celebrating and promoting women leaders in business, people took notice – including Forbes.com contributor Anne Doyle, who wrote:

“When two global corporations with the economic impact and cultural  influence of Amway and Microsoft – both reach and employ millions of consumers and change agents all over the world —  recognize that the women’s leadership engine is revving up and they’d better get on board, the possibilities for paradigm shifting change are enormous.”

More than 200 women attended the event, which started with a conversation between Amway managers and their Microsoft account executive about the need to better support women seeking leadership roles.

It resulted in a daylong gathering that included keynote speeches from Amway Chief Marketing Officer Candace Matthews and Microsoft Americas Premier Support Vice President Kelly Rogan, who explained why being a “street fighter” is just as important as being a great collaborator.

We can’t wait to see where this conversation leads.

(Guest post by Nick Wasmiller)

It was mid-day, but the stars shone bright at Figure Skating in Harlem’s Skating with the Stars Gala Monday.

Amway was among the shining stars at the event where some of the world’s greatest skaters, celebrities and corporate and community leaders united for an evening of ice skating at the Trump Wollman Rink in New York City’s iconic Central Park.

Amway has been a proud sponsor of this event and organization for the past five years, but this was the first as presenting sponsor.

Candace Matthews, Amway Chief Marketing Officer, joined Figure Skating in Harlem’s Board of Directors in 2005 and has served several terms as FSH’s Board Chair and Gala Co-Chair, including this year.

Learn more about this fabulous event, including photos and some of the big names that were there, at our One by One blog.

Although infographics weren’t so popular when Amway Co-Founders Jay Van Andel and Rich DeVos started their first business in the mid-1940s, we know they would appreciate this one.  They tried their hands at business at least seven times prior to distributing Nutrilite, the precursor to today’s Amway.

Their first venture together was a flight school called Wolverine Air Service. The second was a hamburger joint called Riverside Drive-Inn. They also started businesses renting canoes, chartering fishing trips, importing Haitian home accessories and selling wooden rocking horses and organic baked goods.

We’re glad they kept going. And in their honor, we’re always here for the millions of Amway distributors trying to build their businesses every day, too.  How many times will you try?

About 140 eighth-graders received some hands-on job experience recently without ever leaving their classrooms.

Continuing longstanding partnerships between Amway, Junior Achievement of the Michigan Great Lakes and Grand Rapids Public Schools, students at Burton Middle School were visited by Amway employees from our World Headquarters as part of the Junior Achievement Reverse Job Shadow Day.

The employees told the students about their jobs and responsibilities, but also collaborated with them on real scenarios in their school.

“(We) were teaching the students about integrated marketing communications and how to put together a communications plan,” said Jerry DiTrapani, manager of marketing programs at Amway. “We did a group exercise to brainstorm the objectives for the upcoming Burton Field Day in May.

“The students had some tremendous ideas, which we will implement when we organize the field trip.”

The students also had some thoughtful questions for the employees.

“I wanted to know about the benefits of hard work,” said eighth-grader Victor Diaz, an aspiring home builder. “And what to do, if you put your all into a job, and don’t accomplish much.”

Through events like this, students become more likely to succeed in the workplace. JA’s research shows that students participating in programs like the Reverse Job Shadow Day have a better understanding of and interest in career opportunities.

It’s also a benefit for the employees who participate.

“Volunteering makes me a happier employee,” Sue Reahm, lead creative account representative at Amway, said. “It is great to give, and I also get so much out of spending time with the students. … I enjoy learning about them and with them and seeing first hand their hunger for knowledge.”

Check out more photos from the day at our Amway Facebook page.

One of the wonderful things about our Amway One by One Campaign for Children is how our employees and distributors reach out to make a difference right where they live. Because we operate in more than 100 countries and territories, in the 10 years since the campaign launched, lives have been changed all over the world.

This infographic represents only a small fraction of the more than 10 million children we’ve helped over the last decade. There are just too many projects to fit on one map!

Can entrepreneurship be a weapon against a poor economy? Amway Italy and the Chamber of Commerce of Rome examined that question at a roundtable discussion last month titled: “Youth and Entrepreneurship: A Challenge Against the Crisis.”

The event was held in Rome’s Temple of Hadrian, not far from the Pantheon.

The discussion kicked off with a presentation of the 2012 Amway Entrepreneurship report and panelists included Amway Italy General Manager Fabrizio Suaria and representatives from business and government.  Each person spoke about their role in promoting entrepreneurship among young generations and how they would leverage that untapped potential against the current economic challenges.

The event received a great deal of positive feedback, including the positioning of Amway as an entrepreneurial incubator that can play a key role in encouraging the young generation.

The discussion also received a fair amount of media coverage, which was supplemented by interviews with three young Amway business owners who attended the event: Mattia Paternostro, Renato Iacopini and Anna Glapiak.

Paternostro, 21, was pleased with the event because it taught young people about their entrepreneurship options, including Amway. All three agreed that the Amway business opportunity provides wonderful experience no matter what they do in the future.

Paternostro said Amway teaches skills useful in any workplace. Glapiak called it “a real training ground for life.” And Iacopini said the business has improved his organizational skills and changed his outlook.

“Certainly the work that I am doing right now is greatly helping me for my future,” he said.

(Thank you to Ricardo Gastoni of Amway Italy for helping with this story.)

Our Amway One by One Campaign for Children celebrates 10 years of providing hope, inspiration and generosity to children across the world. In those 10 years, 10 million children have been helped by the efforts of our wonderful distributors and employees. We celebrate that accomplishment and thank everyone who made a difference. We also look forward to the next 10 years of building better lives for children in our communities.

YouTube Direkt

Amway now operates in more than 100 countries and territories. Wherever we go, we try to connect with the community, and our hometown is no different.

We are pleased to partner with Grand Rapids NBC affiliate WOOD TV to share our stories of connecting to the West Michigan community. As Amway Chairman Steve Van Andel and President Doug DeVos explain in these videos, connecting with community has always been a part of the Amway culture.

The London Olympic Games were undoubtedly a highlight for the Chinese people last year thanks to the impressive performance of the Chinese Olympic team.

Sponsored by Nutrilite, the team won 38 gold, 27 silver and 23 bronze medals – the best performance outside of the 2008 Olympics held in Beijing.

Thanks to Nutrilite’s reputation for safety and credibility, the Chinese Olympic Committee extended the sponsorship agreement for eight more years. That means Nutrilite will continue to support the Chinese Olympic Delegation until 2020.

And, the official Olympic rings will continue to appear on Nutrilite products in China. How’s that for a symbol of optimal health and Nutrilite’s credibility?