In 2011, our sales numbers were impressive and we reached several milestones, including our first month with sales over $1 billion.

But years from now, we won’t have those numbers memorized. What we will remember are the people who made our success possible.

That sentiment was recently echoed by Amway President Doug DeVos.

“While it’s a business and we talk about sales numbers and growth, what we’re really excited about is the people in our business … our business owners from around the world who make Amway what it is,” he said during an interview with a dozen journalists from Turkey who visited Amway World Headquarters.

During their stay, the journalists toured our cosmetics plant as well as our research and development facilities. They also visited the Van Andel Institute and Gerald R. Ford Museum in nearby Grand Rapids.

“This is an exciting time to be part of the Amway business,” Doug told the journalists, adding the distributor force behind the company is what it makes it unique. “We’ve had great business performance in the past few years, especially last year, and we’re proud to be part of a vibrant and growing industry.”

Plant manager James Bowman leads reporters through the nutrition products plant

Journalists love to go behind the scenes. The “hard hat” tour is always popular because media can share news on what’s happening before buildings are completed, ribbons are cut and products are produced.  

That’s why we opened the doors today to our $24 million Nutrition Product Plant at our mile-long manufacturing complex in Ada, Michigan. Media toured the state-of-the-art production facility, interviewed our operations leaders and sampled the Nutrilite products that will be made there.  

This is the first time Amway has produced Nutrilite products in Michigan.  The plant will produce our best-selling  NUTRILITE protein powder, sold by distributors all over the world. Other products to be made at the facility  include POSITRIM meal replacement powder, ACTIVE 8 powder drink mix and INVISIFIBER fiber packs.  

Another first is an innovative work system designed by and for employees at the new plant, including a new work schedule and long-term career path.  Nutrilite employees in California worked closely with the Michigan team to transfer knowledge and processes.  

For this tour, instead of hard hats, media donned safety goggles, lab coats and hair nets to tour the three-story facility.  

We’re taking our No. 1 brand to even higher heights. Learn more on Mlive Media, WZZM and our global newsroom.

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Editor’s Note:  This post was originally published on the Interns Expose Amway blog.

As an intern at any company, an important part of the internship is asking questions and absorbing as much information as possible. One thing I’ve learned at Amway is that people are more than happy to answer your questions and encourage you to ask away.

One goal of my internship is learning how to work with different media outlets. As a recent grad and young public relations professional, it’s necessary for me to increase my understanding on how to interact and make connections with journalists, bloggers and reporters. While I learned from my professors and had a little bit of experience prior, I want to learn the tips, tricks and correct ways of approaching, talking and following up with the media.

On Monday, I got the perfect chance to learn from, ask questions and observe my mentor, Katie, at a recent Amway-sponsored event - United States Golf Association Junior Amateur Championship. Referencing one of Esther’s posts where she wrote about her experience at the event, the golf championship involves 156 young golfers from around the country competing for the winning title.

In the (very, very early) morning Katie and I met with a local sports radio station where she secured two speakers from Amway. In the afternoon, I met a journalist and reporter from local news outlets. The next day, Katie secured an interview about Amway employees volunteering at the event for a local news station story. Very neat, right? I thought so, and wanted to know how it all came together.  I asked Katie questions like, “how did you arranged an interview if you hadn’t planned on it prior to the event?” and “how do you approach a reporter with a story idea and not sound too overbearing?”

The answers in a nutshell: It really depends on the situation. Be friendly, helpful and look for relevant stories reporters would be interested in. It also helps to get your name and face out there.

It was a wonderful learning experience that brought me closer to understanding how to work with the media. And not to mention, I got watch a little golf on the side.

I’m not the “but why” person (although I may have been when I was little), but I definitely believe in the power of asking questions.

Editor’s Note:  This post was originally published on the Interns Expose Amway blog.

You didn’t just think interns spent their days in the office in front of the computer, did you? Good, because we definitely don’t! Just as we work hard, we play hard, too. And that includes giving back to our community through volunteering.

On Monday about 50 interns got to spend some time with kids through volunteering for the One by One Intern Carnival at Urban Family Ministries. We arrived early to help set up the activities which included inflatable bouncy pens, face painting, and a dunk tank sporting one of our very own interns. Also, some interns got to practice their cooking skills by serving hotdogs, popcorn and snow cones.

Overall, it turned out to be a fantastic day. It felt very rewarding to be able to give back to the community by making children smile and offering a little fun during their day.

Editor’s Note:  This post was originally published on the Interns Expose Amway blog.

The beginning of the summer has represented an opportunity to pursue my dreams and it is the clearest example that I have succeeded in completing one of the goals that I set for myself when I arrived in Business School.

Two years ago when I applied to Kellogg School of Management, I described in my essays (and in my Business Week blog) how I wanted to become a brand manager at a cosmetics company to create holistic well-being in direct sales to use my talents in favor of improving the world.

The way I arrived at Amway was somehow unusual. As part of my plan B recruiting I continued to look at beauty companies, but searched for operations jobs to at least secure a change in geography and industry. A change of industry, function and geography seemed like a very complex challenge, because most companies would not trust a Chemical Engineer with 5 years of work experience in operations to become a world class marketer.

After a wonderful experience in Ada and an interview that seemed like a friendly talk with the Vice President, Director and Manager of Supply Chain, I received an offer from the center of excellence that I was uncertain to take. I had really liked the company, but I was uncertain of how taking that path brought me closer to my long term career goal: to become a General Manager who can eventually have more impact in the world.

Not willing to give up, I decided to seek advice from MBA’s who were in my dream job in the industry to see if an eventual transition would be possible or if I should stick to my plan to career change during the summer, even if it was in a startup company or scarifying the geography. That determination caused for me to cold call my current manager, an MBA from Duke University to ask her for advice. That advice request converted into an internship opportunity of what I, now call: my dream job.

Two weeks ago, I moved from Chicago to Grand Rapids, Michigan where Amway’s head quarters are located to become a brand manager MBA intern in the color cosmetics business.

My summer project involves working in a very interesting challenge that requires implementing strategic and tactical measures. Using creative, leadership, strategic thinking and analytical skills mixed with marketing, finance, accounting, design, and operations knowledge to solve it. This seems like the perfect opportunity to put to work every course I have taken in both of the programs that I am pursuing, my MBA and MEM.

To gain a rounded experience, it is as important as the internship challenge and project relevance to me, having fun during the summer and getting to know better the company’s culture and employees. For that, HR has made an excellent effort to bring together my fellow intern class. We have been involved in activities ranging from Intern Olympics and baseball games, to lunch and learns where we get to experience a department and other interns projects.

Additionally, HR did a great job in putting together an intern class which is quite diverse, we range between 19 and 28 years old, we hold different school majors from public communications to mechanical engineering, and are pursuing different disciplines in our internships and current graduate studies to solve different projects that contribute to the company transformation. We come from several parts of the world- did I mention that I was born and raised in Mexico? But I have lived in 7 countries in the past 10 years-  one of the most amazing things at Amway is that despite of this diversity, all of us have one goal in common which is succeed at our internship.

My experience at Amway has been one with many first times, something unusual for somebody who had spent over 5 years in the work force. This is the first time in my career that I received flowers in my desk on my first working day and that I was welcomed with a lunch by my entire department, when my team who is in New York attended via videoconference.  I believe, that explains why most of Amway’s employees have been with the company for double digit years.

I am really excited for the challenges of this summer, because now I have a new set of goals to accomplish for myself and a commitment to reciprocate the trust that my manager invested on me.

Is there any time when you dared to challenge the status quo to follow your dreams?

Editor’s Note:  This post was originally published on the Interns Expose Amway blog.

The Third Annual West Michigan Intern Olympics provided a great learning and connection-building experience for interns from Amway, Steelcase, Meijer, Perrigo, Wolverine World Wide, GFS and Spectrum Health. The day involved competitive interns, games, colorful bananas, sunburns and most importantly, networking.

While right now I look like Rudolf the Red Nose Reindeer and I’m sporting an obvious farmer’s tan (more like burn), I had a great time yesterday. It was all clear skies, the sun was out and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. I have to say my favorite game was Tug-o-war. The interns really seemed to get into it. I don’t want to brag or anything, but my team won that round.

But really, the interns in attendance were the cream of the crop of West Michigan. I met and formed connections from interns who work in labs, HR, and IT departments. Keep in mind I know nothing about chemistry or computers, but we found things to talk about and ways to relate to each other.

Overall, this experience has taught me how to network with my peers, not to mention remembering to apply sunscreen on my nose beforehand.

Watch a recap of the Olympics and to see how much fun everyone had!

Editor’s Note:  This post was originally published on the Interns Expose Amway blog.

Hello everyone! My name is Erica Abel and I am the social media intern in Human Resources. This summer, I work in the Talent Acquisition area (specifically College Talent Acquisition), and I love it! This is actually my third internship here at Amway, so clearly, I am thoroughly enjoying myself and learning a lot! I, like Kate, was raised using Amway products so that makes my internship experience all the more exciting! Before I get into some of my internship responsibilities, I will use this post to introduce myself.

I was born and raised in the Grand Rapids area, so naturally, I love going to our great West Michigan beaches! I am currently attending Huntington University, where I will be a senior majoring in Communication Studies. Huntington is located in Indiana, and is definitely different than Grand Rapids! I am a member of Huntington’s Tennis Team, which is always exciting and challenging.

Outside of school, work, and tennis, I have several other passions. I love to travel and go boating. Some of my past travel experiences have included Australia where I was able to spend a lot of time snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef (definitely worth the trip!). Besides that, I also enjoy writing and going to baseball games. My favorite team is, of course, the Detroit Tigers. My family and I make a point to go to a couple of their games each summer.

I am looking forward to meeting and getting to know the rest of the interns this summer. Let me say from past experience that we all have a lot to look forward to!

Editor’s Note:  This post was originally published on the Interns Expose Amway blog.

Please welcome Ryan Flaherty, an intern in the Quality Assurance department (and a fellow Laker!).

Today is the Friday of my first week.  I have to admit there is much more reading than I ever could have anticipated but I suppose it’s almost a right of passage to get to the “fun stuff.”

You may be asking yourself, “What is the fun stuff?” To explain, I’m a bit of a lab rat.  I am going into my senior year at Grand Valley State University as a Chemistry major.  So for me the “fun stuff” is working in the lab!  I guess I’ve always been a hands-on kind of guy, to be honest.  I love working on my car and tinkering with anything I can get my hands on.

This summer my project is the “Development and Validation of a consolidated UPLC Method for the simultaneous determination of AA2G, DPG and SA in finished products.”  Some of you may have just read the project title and mentally checked out, so I’ll try and get you back by letting you know that basically I’ll be trying to find a more efficient way of analyzing finished products for the three compounds listed above.  Some who read this will think that this sounds about as interesting as watching diamonds form….but to me it is very exciting!  I will be the first to admit I am a complete nerd in that sense.  However, I have taken ownership of my nerdy-ness and embraced it!

That’s pretty much the overview of my project, but what about the facility and the people here?  Both are unrivaled by anything I have been exposed to before. The facilities are state-of-the-art and HUGE!  It is my sincere belief that the Amway complex could be a self-sufficient city of it’s own…..well seeing as they make food and every necessity I can think of here….maybe a self-sufficient little country?  Okay, that’s a bit of a stretch, but you get my point.  The work environment is fantastic and the most welcoming I have ever been in!  Not once have I been made to feel like “the new guy” and everyone is very inclusive whether it is with lunch plans or conversations.

Long story short, I drive here in the morning, “on my way to work,” but once I get here eight hours don’t seem like enough and the question that crosses my mind when its “quitin’ time” for the day is…..do I really have to go home?

Editor’s Note:  This post was originally published on the Interns Expose Amway blog.

Allow me to introduce myself. I’m Leah Zuber, the public relations intern in the corporate communications department, and new managing editor of Interns Expose Amway. I graduate next month with a bachelor’s degree in public relations from Grand Valley State University. I am thrilled to join the Amway community.

I have some blogging experience under my belt, as I’m a contributor for the Classroom to Cubicle Project and used to manage my own blog. In addition to reading me on here, you can also find me conversing on social media channels like Twitter (follow me!), Facebook, Foursquare and LinkedIn.

I’m a Michigan native, originally from Howell, and fell in love with West Michigan when I began at GVSU. In fact, I never want to leave and strive to eventually call this area my home. As my Twitter Bio reads, I’m a “mad coffee drinker” – couldn’t go a day without it. I also love reading, anything from Elizabeth Kostova to the Twilight series (yes, I said it. I’m hopeless) to trashy gossip magazines.

But back to the blog.  This summer’s group of eager and enthusiastic interns will continue to expose, reveal and unravel the purposes and functions behind a diverse group of Amway departments. We’ll show you, first-hand, the places we visit and the people we meet by recording our visits and sharing them with you here.

In addition, we will blog about our learning experiences and the role interns play at Amway.

That said, what are some areas of Amway you’d like us to expose? What are you dying to know about interns or interning at Amway?

Feel free to comment below and tell us what you’re interested in learning about.

Editor’s Note:  This post was originally published on the Interns Expose Amway blog.

I am excited to announce that tomorrow Amway will be hosting the West Michigan Intern Olympics for a second time! This year will be even better because four more companies are participating. The inaugural companies Amway and Steelcase are now accompanied by Gordon Food Service, Meijer, Perrigo and Wolverine Worldwide. Over 150 interns will be at this event!

Not only will this event be tons a fun, it will also allow West Michigan interns to network with other young professionals in the area.  This event can also be used as a tool for interns to find career opportunities in West Michigan.

Some of the events will include:

-Marshmallow Dodgeball

-Tug-O-War

-Wacky Softball

-Hula Hoop Race

For the final event, and for the trophy, each company will compete in a relay event with a series of brain teasers, puzzles and math problems.

Last year, Bethany, Stefanie, and I won the coveted Spirit Award for encouraging our teammates and our awesome bubble wrap tutus, which were made out of office supplies we found in our department. Yes, those are packaging peanuts in our hair

Stay tuned for links to the coverage, pictures and comments from participating interns!