Melaleuca Makes Inc. 500 List for an Incredible Five Consecutive Years

In an astonishing feat, Melaleuca was ranked on Inc. magazine’s list of the nation’s 500 fastest-growing, privately held firms for five years in a row from 1990-1994. Melaleuca is the only firm to remain on Inc.’s list for five consecutive years while also earning the publication’s “A profitability” rating each year.

Inc. magazine is the nation’s foremost authority in reporting and tracking the growth of U.S. corporations. To appear on its annual list of the country’s top 500 companies once is an outstanding achievement. Because of the difficulty of ever making the exclusive Inc. 500 listing, only 30% on the listing in a given year ever make it again.

In 1990, the magazine ranked Melaleuca as the 37th fastest-growing privately held company in America. The year 1990 was Melaleuca’s first year of eligibility for membership in this elite group, as companies must have been in business for five years to be considered for recognition.

“To have a company in the Inc. 500 would have been a dream come true for me,” Melaleuca CEO Frank VanderSloot said after being notified of the honor. “But to be ranked as No. 37 is something I had never imagined. We were hoping to appear somewhere in the top 200, but this is truly beyond expectation.”

VanderSloot credited Melaleuca’s employees and distributors for the phenomenal accomplishment. “I deeply appreciate the hard work, dedication, and loyal support of all of our employees and our distributors who have made this happen,” he said. “They deserve the honor and tribute that Inc. has bestowed upon them for their achievement. Thank you all for helping to make Melaleuca a great company!”

Impressively, Melaleuca remained on the Inc. 500 each of the following four years, ranking No. 105 in 1991, No. 47 in 1992, No. 138 in 1993 and No. 232 in 1994. As of 1995, when Melaleuca earned its fifth straight ranking, only 26 other companies—from a pool of tens of thousands—had ever made the list five times.

“Five years on the Inc. 500 is an impressive vote of confidence in the future of Melaleuca and the entire Melaleuca family,” VanderSloot said. “Being consistently one of America’s fastest-growing businesses, in the company of success stories like Microsoft, says a lot about who we are and where we’re going. We were listed every year we could be! This kind of success is only possible because of the drive, determination and skill of Melaleuca’s Marketing Executives—it is recognition of their accomplishments as well as those of our dedicated employees.”