Featured Partner

Melaleuca Founder Frank VanderSloot Leads with a Mission

Featured Partner Contributor
Font Size:

Modern-day employees are looking for careers that are driven by a mission. According to a recent survey by Deloitte, 57% of millennial respondents reported a high level of job satisfaction in organizations identified as having a strong sense of purpose as opposed to only 23% of satisfied respondents without the same sense of purpose.

Thirty-seven years ago, Melaleuca founder Frank VanderSloot understood the power behind a purpose-driven workplace when he founded Melaleuca: The Wellness Company. And ever since, he has built a legacy by helping people in need, advocating for the free enterprise system, and running a global enterprise as the CEO of Melaleuca.

VanderSloot’s Business Management with a Mission

Founded in 1985 by Frank VanderSloot, Melaleuca has grown into a multinational consumer goods company with annual sales of over $2 billion. Their more than 400 products include a variety of nutritional supplements, cleaning supplies, and personal care and beauty products that are used by 2 million customers every month. Melaleuca uses plant-based formulations that avoid caustic chemicals in their product lineup, making homes cleaner and safer.

From the beginning, VanderSloot’s leadership led to Melaleuca’s consistent growth. Melaleuca CEO Frank VanderSloot focused on the company’s mission statement: To enhance the lives of those we touch by helping people reach their goals. Even now, as VanderSloot passes the torch to the new chief executive officer, Jerry Felton, this mission statement guides decisions at The Wellness Company, influences product development and even extends to its charitable actions through the Melaleuca Foundation.

VanderSloot, who currently serves as executive chairman of the board of directors, has achieved strong financial results, but more than that, he’s used his influence to enhance lives around him as a business leader, a proud American and a philanthropist.

The Melaleuca Foundation

In 2001, after the September 11 attacks, Frank VanderSloot oversaw the formation of the Melaleuca Foundation, which has been helping people in need ever since. The Foundation has donated millions of dollars and large quantities of Melaleuca products to those facing humanitarian crises. It has also collected thousands of tons of food, provided wellness supplies and offered assistance to countless families across the globe. In its first fundraising effort, the Melaleuca Foundation raised $800,000 for families affected by the September 11 tragedy, and it hasn’t slowed down.

During times of natural disaster, the Melaleuca Foundation has stepped up to provide assistance after catastrophic events, including Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Harvey, Irma and Maria; wildfires in California, Colorado, Idaho and Tennessee; tornadoes in the Midwest; and devastating floodwaters in Canada and Louisiana.

Recently, the Melaleuca Foundation made a $250,000 donation after the Philippines was devastated by Typhoon Rai, and it donated $236,700 worth of Melaleuca products to aid Ukrainian refugees.

The Melaleuca Foundation regularly donates to organizations like the American Red Cross, Salvation Army, Feeding America, the Second Harvest Food Bank and the Boy Scouts of America. The Foundation’s signature cause is an orphanage in Quito, Ecuador, called the Santa Lucia Children’s Home, funded exclusively by the Melaleuca Foundation.

Advocate of Free Enterprise

The success that Frank VanderSloot has achieved is a shining example of the American dream coming to life. VanderSloot grew up in a poor family, living and working on a small farm in rural Idaho. He was not given any special treatment but rather had to work hard every step of the way. When Forbes magazine profiled this billionaire, the reporter pointed out that VanderSloot lived in the back of a laundromat during college to avoid going into debt for tuition.

Reflecting on his situation, VanderSloot stated that there is no other country in the world where a person could rise above class and poverty like he has. He’s become a strong advocate for America’s free enterprise system, regularly discussing the importance of free enterprise as an essential element of American strength. He has served on the US Chamber of Commerce’s board of directors and participated as a member of its executive board for over 20 years.

Proud to be an American

Frank VanderSloot showcases his love of country each Fourth of July by funding the largest Independence Day fireworks show west of the Mississippi River, which is free to the public. Held in Idaho Falls, Idaho, the Melaleuca Freedom Celebration is a 31-minute tribute to the servicemen and servicewomen who have sacrificed for their country. This spectacular fireworks display has been highlighted by USA Today, Reader’s Digest, Travel & Leisure, the American Pyrotechnics Association and other national media.

Additionally, under VanderSloot’s direction, Melaleuca donates extensively to veterans’ organizations, so much so that the Melaleuca Foundation was awarded the prestigious Seven Seals Award by the Department of Defense in 2015 for “providing meritorious leadership and initiative in support of the men and women who serve Americans in the National Guard and Reserve.”

Police, firefighters and first responders are recipients of Melaleuca’s generosity as the company works to strengthen the infrastructure at home. The company recently donated $50,000 to buy rifle-grade bullet proof vests for local law enforcement. VanderSloot has donated land for a new police station, given free use of downtown office space to help the Idaho Falls Police Department, bought fitness equipment for Idaho State Police troopers and funded K-9 units.

Walking the Walk

Frank VanderSloot has built a world-class company that takes care of its employees. It’s no surprise then that Melaleuca has been named for three consecutive years by Forbes magazine as one of America’s best employers. Melaleuca, Inc. is also a member of Inc. magazine’s Hall of Fame, after being ranked five consecutive times on the Inc. 500 list. On average, Melaleuca employees remain much longer with the company than the national average. Overall, employees are satisfied working under VanderSloot’s leadership, which can be seen in their Melaleuca reviews.

Standing Up for the Little Guy

In 2019 and 2020, Frank VanderSloot went out of his way to create a $1 million consumer protection fund that defended Idahoans from excessive attorney fees in medical debt collection cases. This fund provided legal defense for over 200 people from around the state embroiled in medical debt cases. He did not know any of the individuals, but he created the fund to address a real problem vexing low-income families in Idaho. VanderSloot then continued this charitable work by encouraging the Idaho state legislature to make changes. His efforts were rewarded when the Idaho legislature passed the meaningful Idaho Patient Act in March 2020.

As an entrepreneur, CEO and business leader, VanderSloot has created a movement of enhancing lives through Melaleuca, which provides an opportunity for health-conscious shoppers to enjoy superior wellness products. But the culture that he’s cultivated reaches far beyond the products that Melaleuca sells. VanderSloot shows generosity and compassion to the people, organizations and charities around him. He’s improved the lives of countless families around him, lifting people up in ways that only he can. It’s not a stretch to say that this self-made billionaire has been a champion of preserving our country and the communities he loves so much.

Members of the editorial and news staff of the Daily Caller were not involved in the creation of this content.

Tags : fp0132
Featured Partner

PREMIUM ARTICLE: Subscribe To Keep Reading

Sign up

By subscribing you agree to our Terms of Use

You're signed up!

Sign up

By subscribing you agree to our Terms of Use

You're signed up!
Sign up

By subscribing you agree to our Terms of Use

You're signed up!

Sign up

By subscribing you agree to our Terms of Use

You're signed up!
Sign up

By subscribing you agree to our Terms of Use

You're signed up!

Sign Up

By subscribing you agree to our Terms of Use

You're signed up!
Sign up

By subscribing you agree to our Terms of Use

You're signed up!
Sign up

By subscribing you agree to our Terms of Use

You're signed up!
BENEFITS READERS PASS PATRIOTS FOUNDERS
Daily and Breaking Newsletters
Daily Caller Shows
Ad Free Experience
Exclusive Articles
Custom Newsletters
Editor Daily Rundown
Behind The Scenes Coverage
Award Winning Documentaries
Patriot War Room
Patriot Live Chat
Exclusive Events
Gold Membership Card
Tucker Mug

What does Founders Club include?

Tucker Mug and Membership Card
Founders

Readers,

Instead of sucking up to the political and corporate powers that dominate America, The Daily Caller is fighting for you — our readers. We humbly ask you to consider joining us in this fight.

Now that millions of readers are rejecting the increasingly biased and even corrupt corporate media and joining us daily, there are powerful forces lined up to stop us: the old guard of the news media hopes to marginalize us; the big corporate ad agencies want to deprive us of revenue and put us out of business; senators threaten to have our reporters arrested for asking simple questions; the big tech platforms want to limit our ability to communicate with you; and the political party establishments feel threatened by our independence.

We don't complain -- we can't stand complainers -- but we do call it how we see it. We have a fight on our hands, and it's intense. We need your help to smash through the big tech, big media and big government blockade.

We're the insurgent outsiders for a reason: our deep-dive investigations hold the powerful to account. Our original videos undermine their narratives on a daily basis. Even our insistence on having fun infuriates them -- because we won’t bend the knee to political correctness.

One reason we stand apart is because we are not afraid to say we love America. We love her with every fiber of our being, and we think she's worth saving from today’s craziness.

Help us save her.

A second reason we stand out is the sheer number of honest responsible reporters we have helped train. We have trained so many solid reporters that they now hold prominent positions at publications across the political spectrum. Hear a rare reasonable voice at a place like CNN? There’s a good chance they were trained at Daily Caller. Same goes for the numerous Daily Caller alumni dominating the news coverage at outlets such as Fox News, Newsmax, Daily Wire and many others.

Simply put, America needs solid reporters fighting to tell the truth or we will never have honest elections or a fair system. We are working tirelessly to make that happen and we are making a difference.

Since 2010, The Daily Caller has grown immensely. We're in the halls of Congress. We're in the Oval Office. And we're in up to 20 million homes every single month. That's 20 million Americans like you who are impossible to ignore.

We can overcome the forces lined up against all of us. This is an important mission but we can’t do it unless you — the everyday Americans forgotten by the establishment — have our back.

Please consider becoming a Daily Caller Patriot today, and help us keep doing work that holds politicians, corporations and other leaders accountable. Help us thumb our noses at political correctness. Help us train a new generation of news reporters who will actually tell the truth. And help us remind Americans everywhere that there are millions of us who remain clear-eyed about our country's greatness.

In return for membership, Daily Caller Patriots will be able to read The Daily Caller without any of the ads that we have long used to support our mission. We know the ads drive you crazy. They drive us crazy too. But we need revenue to keep the fight going. If you join us, we will cut out the ads for you and put every Lincoln-headed cent we earn into amplifying our voice, training even more solid reporters, and giving you the ad-free experience and lightning fast website you deserve.

Patriots will also be eligible for Patriots Only content, newsletters, chats and live events with our reporters and editors. It's simple: welcome us into your lives, and we'll welcome you into ours.

We can save America together.

Become a Daily Caller Patriot today.

Signature

Neil Patel