Amway

Amway Corp. (short for "American Way") is an American multi-level marketing (MLM) company that sells health, beauty, and home care products. The company was founded in 1959 by Jay Van Andel and Richard DeVos and is based in Ada, Michigan. Amway and its sister companies under Alticor reported sales of $8.9 billion in 2019. It is the largest multi-level marketing company in the world by revenue. It conducts business through a number of affiliated companies in more than a hundred countries and territories. Products sold by Amway include household cleaners, beauty and skincare products, and health supplements. Amway has been a major contributor to the Republican Party and GOP candidates, including in 1994 when Amway made the largest corporate contribution to a political party for a single election up to that time. In 1997, it was reported that five Republican Congress members were Amway distributors. The company has reportedly promoted conservative Christian ideology through ownership and co-ownership of non-profit Christian organizations that produced films, books, and media. The DeVos family owns the NBA team, the Orlando Magic. In 2006, the team’s arena was renamed Amway Arena. A new arena, Amway Center, opened in 2010 and retained the Amway name until Kia obtained the naming rights in 2023. Amway has been investigated in various countries and by institutions such as the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for alleged pyramid scheme practices. The company has paid tens of millions of dollars to settle these suits. In 1983, Amway admitted to defrauding the Canadian government of customs duties and taxes by falsely undervaluing goods it imported into the country over a period of 15 years; it had to pay a fine. Between 2007 and 2008, Amway was found guilty of illegal business practices in India, a ruling upheld by the Supreme Court of...