We welcomed more than 200 Founders Council members and other attendees to our World Headquarters this week, and we did it in grand style. Check out some of the photos on our Amway Facebook page. And if you missed the live stream of their arrival courtesy of our Amacam, the replay is available here. Watch for more coverage in the weeks to come!

The 2013 Founders Council began today in Grand Rapids, Michigan! Tomorrow we welcome them to our World Headquarters. Here are some fun facts. Did you know…

We are preparing to welcome about 200 members of our 2013 Founders Council to West Michigan next week, and for the first time ever you are invited to watch part of the festivities.

We will present a live broadcast of their arrival at our World Headquarters in Ada, Michigan. The one and a half hour live-stream will air on May 14th at 2:00 p.m. EDT via a special tab on Amway Corporate Facebook page.

Thanks to new technology – our Amacam – we are able to share all the glamour and excitement of the event with Amway distributors, prospects and friends around the globe.

The Amacam consists of three high-definition cameras (two inside and one outside) that will showcase the members as they arrive to walk the yellow carpet and be welcomed by hundreds of Amway employees.

Attendees to this year’s Founders Council group come from 15 different countries and include 11 new Founders Council members!

So, mark your calendar and plan to join us for the celebration. (How many of our top distributors will you be able to identify?)

Post by Gary Wade.

“Amway was founded on the belief that, by helping people improve their lives, they could make the world a better place.”

So begins the message from our Chairman Steve Van Andel and our President Doug DeVos in the Amway 2012 Global Corporate Social Responsibility Report released today.

The annual report highlights the many ways our company, its more than 21,000 employees and more than 3 million distributors make a difference in the lives of others.

That includes building homes in Latin America, providing water filters in Haiti, building libraries in China and adopting schools right here in the hometown of our World Headquarters.

Corporate Social Responsibility is built into everything we do: our people, our products and our performance.

 Steve and Doug credit their fathers for recognizing the potential in this business for making a difference.

“They made it their mission to be more, do more, give more. And more than a half-century later, we’re still emulating their powerful example. … We’re awed by how far we’ve come and inspired to keep becoming more, together.”

Read the full report here.

Yesterday’s Financial Times featured this article (registration required to view in full) about Cecilia Qing Tang, one distributor who has made her way in a new country by leading and growing her Amway business.

Amway United Kingdom General Manager Andy Smith is also interviewed about the growing trend of migrants exercising their entrepreneurial spirit through direct selling.

In four years, Cecilia has defined her own success. We applaud her, along with the millions of other Amway distributors worldwide who focus their time, talents and energy on their Amway businesses.

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!

Have you ever wondered how a global company with over 21,000 employees operating in more than 100 countries and territories handles the challenge of Information Technology? Take a look…

Welcome to a new feature at the Amway Insider: 5 Minutes With…

Occasionally we will choose an interesting person connected to Amway or the direct selling industry and ask them a few quick questions. We’re very excited about our inaugural guest, Zac. We’ve written about him before, but this is the first time we got Zac to sit down for an interview. Thanks to Antonia Krunes of Amway Australia and New Zealand for tracking down the jet-setting stick figure.

How does it feel to be Amway’s unofficial “social mascot”?

Great! I love my Amway business and the great opportunity it offers. It’s so much fun being in my own videos and attending all the exciting Amway Achievers events. I love connecting with people through social media – it helps me share my great experiences with Amway!

What do you think about your social counterpart, Carlos, helping spread the word about Amway in Latin America?

Carlos is a legend – he’s doing a fantastic job at letting people in Latin America know about the best business opportunity in the world.

How many languages do you know?

I speak English, Spanish, Portugese and most of the other major languages. I’m a quick study!

Can you tell us about your latest video?

Sometimes people ask me if Amway products are worth the price tag. I know that nothing compares to Amway’s quality products – but I’m not sure how to tell others! So in my latest video I go on a journey to discover what makes Amway products world-class. I find out about the rich history of Amway’s products. They don’t manufacture to the lowest cost, but produce the best value. Watch it here and find out why “Nothing Compares to Amway!”

Can we find you on Facebook?

Sure can! I love Facebook and often pop up on the Amway Australia & New Zealand Facebook.

What do you think about fellow Aussie ARTISTRY Global Face Teresa Palmer.

Teresa is an Aussie beauty and a brilliant actress – she is taking Hollywood by storm! She is the perfect embodiment of ARTISTRY. Go, Teresa, go!

What stands out about your trip to Amway World Headquarters last year?

I definitely remember getting caught up on all of the episodes of “The Office” during the 14-hour airplane ride. Aside from that, so many things! I got to meet Amway Chairman Steve Van Andel and sit his office, which has an amazing view of the “flag promenade” where Amway displays the flags from every country where it does business.

I also loved touring the beauty research and development labs. They even gave me my very own lab coat! Walking down the Hall of Achievement was another eye-opening moment. If anyone reading this gets the chance to visit Ada, I’d highly recommend it – it was the experience of a lifetime.

Well, Zac, thanks so much for your time, and we look forward to your next video.

My pleasure, G’day!

We announced record sales this week of $11.3 billion for 2012. That very big number is representative of the many wonderful people and products behind a successful year:

• 21,000 employees.
• More than 900 scientists and technicians.
• 65 research & development labs.
• More than 1,000 patents granted, 800 pending.
• 2.7 million volunteer hours.
• 10 million children helped through the Amway One by One Campaign for Children.
• $3.5 billion in bonuses and incentives.

Watch the video to learn more. We look forward to another successful year!

YouTube Direkt

Our Chief Marketing Officer Candace Matthews sat down with CMO.com recently and talked about her role in transforming marketing at Amway while ensuring the company maintains the identity that served it so well for more than 50 years.

Matthews talked about creating a global strategy and global branding to the business to help our more than 3 million distributors be more successful. And she talked about the importance of listening to the younger generations.

“They live in a digital world,” she said. “And what they’re thinking about is beyond what we baby boomers could ever imagine.”

While the younger generation of distributors may go about things a bit differently from their predecessors, the core of what they do remains the same — building relationships. And Matthews said that is the key to success.

“Digital enhances our business model; it won’t replace our business model because that contact is who we are,” she told CMO.com. “What digital does is it brings relevance, but it won’t replace relationships. That’s the core of who we are.”

Read the entire interview here.