Dick and Doug DeVos inducted into U.S. Direct Selling Association (DSA) Hall of Fame; Rich DeVos honored with Lifetime Achievement Award

Dick and Doug DeVos inducted into U.S. Direct Selling Association (DSA) Hall of Fame

Amway Co-Founder Rich DeVos was recognized for his key role in strengthening direct selling and increasing its acceptance in the U.S. and throughout the world. Sons Dick and Doug DeVos, who have both served as Amway president and chairman of the DSA, fostered the industry’s global expansion.

Two generations of DeVos leadership at Amway were recognized June 5 by the U.S. DSA with the industry’s highest honors.

Dick and Doug DeVos were inducted into the Direct Selling Association’s Hall of Fame by their father, Rich DeVos. Rich was also recognized with  DSA’s Lifetime Achievement Award, becoming just the second person to receive this prestigious recognition. Amway Co-Founders Rich DeVos and Jay Van Andel were inducted into the U.S. Direct Selling Association (DSA) Hall of Fame in 1979 and 1987, respectively.

Direct Selling News release.

"I’m just so grateful I am here tonight to honor my sons and my wife, who raised these boys into great men while Jay and I were gone building the business," Rich DeVos said during the ceremony.

"Dick took us around the world and even corrected some of the mistakes we made. He also did things we were reluctant to do, and put Amway on a stronger course," Rich DeVos said. He added that when he looks at what Doug has done, he realizes the growing impact the Amway business opportunity has had on the world under Doug's leadership.

Amway co-founder honored
Rich DeVos was also recognized during the event with a Lifetime Achievement Award for his remarkable contributions that, with Van Andel, pioneered a sales and marketing plan that revolutionized the industry and has been the model for other companies ever since.  Rich is the second recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Rich DeVos served as Amway president from the company’s founding in 1959 to his retirement in 1993.  DeVos remains an in-demand motivational speaker and is author of a number of books, including Believe!, Hope from My Heart: 10 Lessons for Life, and 10 Powerful Phrases for Positive People. 

LINK TO AMWAY TIMELINE

The new inductees
Dick and Doug DeVos were recognized for their tremendous industry leadership by Joe Mariano, DSA president, who acknowledged their help in advancing the direct selling industry around the world. Both Dick and Doug served as chairman of the U.S. DSA Board of Directors. Dick has been chairman of the World Federation of Direct Selling Associations (WFDSA) and Doug was previously chair of the Direct Selling Education Foundation (DSEF), earning that organization’s Circle of Honor Award in 2009. Doug is currently treasurer of WFDSA.

While serving as Amway president from 1993 to 2001, Dick DeVos focused his efforts in expanding the company’s footprint to dozens of new countries and territories across six continents. He started his career at Amway in 1974 and held positions in various divisions before becoming vice president of international in 1984. Dick became president of Amway in 1993 after his father’s retirement.  Under his leadership, Amway opened tripled international sales, exceeding domestic sales for the first time in the company’s history.

President of Amway since 2002, Doug DeVos has focused on strategically developing these markets, nearly doubling company sales within a decade. Since joining Amway in 1986, Doug served in leadership positions in Asia, Europe and the Americas before succeeding his brother as president.  Under his strategic leadership with Amway Chairman Steve Van Andel, Doug has helped Amway experience exponential growth.  Sales for Alticor, the parent company of Amway, have more than doubled since 2002, exceeding $10.9 billion dollars in 2011.

LINK TO 2011 Sales News Release