Forty Years of Success Makes All the Difference! A Special Message from Frank VanderSloot

This month is Melaleuca’s 40th birthday. It’s hard to believe it, but we’ve been in business now for 40 years! When we first opened our doors, we operated out of the old S&H Green Stamps building in Idaho Falls, Idaho. We started with just eight products, which were all based on the properties of Melaleuca Oil. In fact, Melaleuca Oil was our primary product. We operated out of that building for five years, before we outgrew it and had to find something else.

We were growing fast, and needed something larger, quickly. Ziggy’s hardware had recently gone out of business, and it was the only vacant building in town. We didn’t have time to build a new building, so we bought Ziggy’s, added a second floor, put in a bunch of windows out front, and gave it a nice facade. We lived in that remodeled hardware store for more than 20 years!

I’m really proud of the fact that we made it to $1.5 billion in annual sales from Ziggy’s hardware store! Clearly, we weren’t into trying to make a flashy impression with fancy digs. We invested everything that we had back into the company—into research, development, ingredients, and facilities. We built a factory and distribution center in Idaho Falls, and then another one in Knoxville, Tennessee.

When we outgrew Ziggy’s, we built the building that, today, serves as our new global headquarters. I say “new,” but actually we finished it 10 years ago. This impressive structure provides us with 355,000 total square feet of office space. We also have millions of square feet of other operating, manufacturing, and distribution facilities worldwide.

I’m sharing this history with you because I feel that the progression of our headquarters represents the progression that we have made in every single area as a company. Not only are the buildings we live in today totally different than when we began, but every aspect of our business has improved in a similar fashion.

Forty years of progress can make a tremendous difference. Our products have improved dramatically. We went from eight products, centered around Melaleuca Oil, to hundreds of jaw-dropping products that all provide unmatched benefits at an unbeatable value.

In fact, we now have more than 450 unique wellness products. We hold more than 100 patents. We’ve invested millions of dollars in product research and have made dozens of scientific breakthroughs—all protected by patents or trade secrets. We’ve also invested hundreds of millions of dollars into computer programming that globally links all of our computer systems in 20 different countries.

Over the years, we’ve made vast improvements in every single facet of our business. Our products, our business opportunity, our marketing literature, and our people have all become significantly better. We’ve invested billions of dollars in infrastructure, factories, global computer systems, research and development, and people. We have much better tools!

My point is that the last 40 years have been magical. I don’t know that 40 years will make you smarter, but you certainly gain knowledge. You learn how to connect the dots. You make better decisions. You can almost see around corners. You can’t really forecast the future, but you can come pretty close. You learn that every obstacle is simply an opportunity. You learn to be grateful for your challenges because what looked like a barrier yesterday was really just a stepping stone. And over time, you become a better leader. And so does everyone around you.

Our management team has over 1,800 years of combined Melaleuca experience—and that’s just our directors and above in the US! It’s given me a lot of personal fulfillment to see them grow in stature as individuals. As fathers. And mothers. As citizens in the community. And as business leaders. They live our mission of enhancing lives, day in and day out. And they’re a lot better at what they do today than they were 40 years ago.

I can promise that we will change as much in the next 40 years as we did in the first 40. We’ve been busy building the foundation of an organization that is on its way to becoming a tremendous force for good around the world. I believe we are involved in a noble cause. And I’m grateful that you have joined us in that cause.

One out of every 200 households in the United States and Canada is a Melaleuca Member. That means that when you drive past 200 homes, you can be sure that at least one of those is a Melaleuca Member. On the other hand, that number represents only one half of one percent of the population. So, we still have 99.5% to go. And, just like your Melaleuca business, we are growing one household at a time.

We celebrate the past simply because that’s what we’ve used to build our foundation. This, our 40th year, has been one of the best years of growth that we’ve had in our 40-year history. And I can confidently say that the best is yet to come.

Sincerely,