For his lifetime contributions and profound impact on the state of Idaho, Melaleuca CEO Frank VanderSloot has received a Hall of Fame award from the Idaho State Journal.
You can read more about the story in the Idaho State Journal and East Idaho News.
VanderSloot received the Hall of Fame award at the 17th Annual Southeast Idaho Business and Achievement Awards on Wednesday evening. The event, which honored Idaho business and community leaders, was held at Idaho State University.
VanderSloot was nominated for the award because “few people have done more to help the people of Idaho. His influence extends across a wide range of arenas throughout the state.”
Melaleuca is a tremendous economic engine for Idaho, contributing $600 million to Idaho’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), thousands of jobs, $169 million in labor income and nearly $32 million in state and local taxes in a single year alone. With a focus on philanthropy, both Melaleuca and VanderSloot individually have donated millions of dollars to a wide spectrum of nonprofit, humanitarian, and other charitable organizations around the world.
“Your hard work, dedication, leadership, community involvement and the positive impact you have made on others has improved the lives of those around you,” said Jason Williams, treasurer of Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Company of Idaho, one of the event’s main sponsors. “We are privileged to have you in our communities.”
Under VanderSloot’s guidance, Melaleuca has grown from a small startup operating out of a small building in Idaho Falls into a $1.3 billion enterprise doing business in 19 countries around the world. When Melaleuca started in 1985, it employed only a handful of people. Today the company is one of the largest employers in all of Idaho.
In his acceptance speech last night, VanderSloot was quick to deflect praise and give credit to those around him. “As often is the case, I’m getting more attention than I deserve,” he said. “I’m really fortunate to be the head of a business that’s had many years of success. We’ve been in business for 31 years now and the credit really goes to over 3,500 employees and a huge number of independent Marketing Executives that work for us around the world.”
“It’s their hard work, their ingenuity, and their resolve that creates the engine that drives our success,” he added. “And I’m honored to receive this award on their behalf, because they’re the ones that have made this happen.”
VanderSloot also attributed much of Melaleuca’s success to his wife, Belinda.
“Sometimes people don’t know what goes on behind the scenes that makes a business successful,” he said, remarking how Melaleuca has grown incredibly since he and Belinda were married in 1995. “She gives me a great garden to grow in. And often what happens with business has a whole lot to do what’s happening in your home—how you’re able to grow, and progress, and make improvements in your own home life. She’s brought that to me, and my life has been so wonderful for the last 21 years.”
