This Saturday, two distinguished Southeast Idahoans, Melaleuca President and CEO Frank VanderSloot and the Idaho National Lab’s President and Laboratory Director Vice Admiral John Grossenbacher, will be inducted into Idaho’s Hall of Fame. Comprised of educators, authors, public servants, business leaders and more, this year’s class showcases the tremendous character found within the great state of Idaho.
VanderSloot and Grossenbacher join the ranks of other distinguished Idahoans that have previously been inducted, including Joseph Albertson, J.R. Simplot, Ezra Taft Benson, Dirk Kempthorn Cecil Andrus, Phil Batt and Frank Church. About 100 people have been inducted into the Idaho Hall of Fame since it 1995.
Born and raised on a farm in Northern Idaho, VanderSloot learned the longstanding Idaho values of hard work and dedication at a young age. During his career, he held key management positions with two Fortune 500 companies: Automatic Data Processing and Cox Communications. Over the last 22 years, VanderSloot has served as President and CEO of Melaleuca, an Idaho Falls-based manufacturer of health and wellness products, where he has led the company to achieve 22 consecutive years of record-setting revenues and growth.
VanderSloot has been the recipient of numerous awards from both Idaho and national organizations, including Idaho’s Business Leader of the Year by Idaho State University in 1998 and Entrepreneur of the Year for the Northwest region by Ernst & Young, CNN and USA Today in 2001.
Vice Admiral Grossenbacher had a distinguished naval career before his appointment as President and Laboratory Director of the Idaho National Laboratory. He oversees an operation that has been designated by the Department of Energy as the lead laboratory in advanced nuclear technologies.
Prior to his retirement as a senior Navy submarine officer, he served as the Commander of Submarine Forces and U.S. Atlantic Fleet, Submarines Allied Command Atlantic. In October 2001, he became the first Commander, Naval Submarine Forces, and was responsible for all U.S.submarine forces.
Grossenbacher has received numerous awards for his military service, including the Defense Distinguished Service Medal and the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, and he is one of only a handful of officers in U.S. Navy history to be awarded both the Stockdale and David Lloyd Awards for Leadership Excellence.
Joining VanderSloot and Grossenbacher in the Idaho Hall of Fame’s 2007 class are: Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter, Lt. Gov. Jim Risch, Dr. Robert Kustra, Chris Petersen, Sen. Larry Craig, Judge Roy Mosman, Dee Sarton, Larry May, Arthur Hart and Fred Norman.
