Published on Monday, December 28, 2009 .
Corporate giving isn’t just about dollars, rubles, rupees, yen, or yuan.
Sure, Amway, our employees and distributors have given more than US$70 million and 1 million volunteer hours through our One by One Campaign for Children since 2003. The direct selling industry gives generously as well: companies gave more than $336 million worldwide last year in cash and millions more in donations of goods and time, according to a recent World Federation of Direct Selling Associations report.
But there are other ways we give. Each year our executives and employees around the world speak at conferences and forums, lecture at educational institutions, and work with organizations to share knowledge and learnings. Recently we partnered with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce at a forum on corporate social responsibility in China and will work with the Chamber on similar programs in the future.
It’s hard to put a price tag on this kind of giving. Because knowledge is more valuable than any currency.
Published on Monday, November 2, 2009 .
Direct selling is a multi-billion dollar industry involving tens of millions of people worldwide.
How big and how many? Here’s a snapshot of direct selling, by the numbers:
$113 billion - global retail sales through direct sellers in U.S. dollars, according to the World Federation of Direct Selling Associations.
$29.6 billion - retail sales through direct sellers last year in the U.S., the world’s biggest market for direct selling.
66 million - the number of direct selling reps worldwide - 15.1 million in the U.S. alone.
68 - direct selling companies around the world with more than $100 million in sales.
58 - the average age of the top 10 direct selling companies worldwide (none of the top 10 have been in business fewer than 25 years; Amway, the world’s second largest direct seller, turns 50 this year.)
42 - direct selling companies selling more than $100 million annually that are based in the U.S.
11 - companies that have sales of $1 billion or more.
It all adds up to a thriving global industry and opportunity for millions worldwide.
We relaunched Amway.com this week (as well as Amway.ca for our Canadian customers).
The redesigned website is more than just a new “look and feel.” We want the site to provide a fresh, contemporary perspective on our business, people and products.
Feel free to visit the new site, rediscover the Amway brand and learn more about the millions of lives we’ve impacted over the last 50 years.
Tell us what you think!
Published on Wednesday, March 4, 2009 .
Today’s Detroit News ran a story, “Bad economic times open door for direct sales: Ringing up opportunity,” which quotes executive vice president Jim Payne. The lead story on the business page, it’s a largely favorable piece about direct selling in these difficult economic times and depicts Amway as an industry leader. Jim is quoted in the article as saying:
When the economy goes bad, it does bode well for our industry. While it’s early in the year, we see solid evidence that more people are interested (in selling Amway products.)
Elsewhere, the National Law Journal features our very own general legal counsel, Mike Mohr, in an article entitled “Amway GC Lives the Dream.” The story lays out the scope and breadth of Mike’s global responsibilities and strategic focus to support Amway’s business around the world. Concerning our presence on the web, Mike responds:
[We] all live in a fishbowl. There are no secrets, but we have embraced the transparency.
But there’s more than mere legal chatter. Readers also learn that Mike was born an “army brat” and in later years transformed into a “motorhead…gearhead” who fancies pulp science fiction in his very spare time.
