Frank VanderSloot
Founder and Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors
Growing up on a small family farm in northern Idaho, Frank learned the value of hard work from an early age. He was in charge of the farm from the time he was just a 12-year-old boy. Embracing his parents’ example of living debt-free, Frank saved up his money to pay his own way through college.
Frank earned a bachelor’s degree in business management from Brigham Young University. While at school, he lived in a storage closet behind a laundromat to save money. After graduating, he worked as an executive at two Fortune 500 companies, ADP and Cox Communications, before founding Melaleuca in September 1985.
Under Frank’s leadership, Melaleuca has steadily grown from a simple startup into a thriving consumer goods company. Initially, Melaleuca offered a modest array of eight products; now, The Wellness Company offers more than 400 health and wellness products. Melaleuca operates in 20 countries and territories around the world and brings in $2 billion in annual revenue. More than 2 million households around the world regularly use Melaleuca products.
Recognizing Frank’s innovative business strategies and Melaleuca’s achievements, Ernst & Young presented Frank with its prestigious Entrepreneur of the Year award, co-sponsored by CNN, USA Today, and NASDAQ. Through the Entrepreneur of the Year program, Ernst & Young celebrates “ambitious visionaries who are leading successful, dynamic businesses.”
In the aftermath of the September 11 terrorist attacks, Frank created the Melaleuca Foundation as a way to do good where good is needed. As Melaleuca’s charitable arm, the foundation has donated millions of dollars to countless nonprofit and humanitarian organizations. It provides relief to victims of natural disasters all around the world, and it is the sole supporter of the Santa Lucia Children’s Home in Quito, Ecuador.
In 1992, Frank founded the Melaleuca Freedom Celebration, an enormous fireworks show that pays tribute to America’s Founding Fathers as well as veterans, soldiers, and their families. Held in Idaho Falls, Idaho, it is the largest Independence Day fireworks display west of the Mississippi River. This spectacular display has been featured in USA Today, Travel + Leisure, and Reader’s Digest and has been highlighted by the American Pyrotechnics Association.
But Frank isn’t just busy with his responsibilities at Melaleuca. He also owns and operates Riverbend Ranch, a cattle ranch that is home to one of the largest and most prestigious Angus cattle herds in the United States.
For nearly three decades, Frank built up his herd, investing in the best genetics he could find, and Riverbend Ranch is now a subsidiary of Melaleuca, Inc.