Steve Forbes, 2005: The U.S. lost a great entrepreneur when Jay Van Andel died at the age of 80 this past December. He was cofounder of Amway, a company that began in his basement and is today a $6 billion, globe-girdling behemoth. Amway is one of the world’s largest direct-sales companies, with approximately 3 million distributors worldwide selling a wide variety of products. It is also a formidable manufacturer of many of those items. Van Andel and his business partner, Richard DeVos, had tried several ventures before founding Amway. As true entrepreneurs, they learned early on how difficult achieving success can be.
Van Andel was also a noteworthy philanthropist. One of his legacies is the Van Andel Research Institute, which helps finance research in a range of health issues, including cancer. He also contributed generously to a number of civic projects. He was a supporter of think tanks, such as the Heritage Foundation (on whose board I sit), that have helped make conservatism such a positive, dynamic force in our country today.
Whether in business or philanthropy, Van Andel understood that the primary goal was to serve the needs and wants of other people. He exemplified the best of America.
Source: 2005 Forbes Magazine Archives
