Co-founder with Rich DeVos of the highly successful and controversial company Amway.
He and his longtime friend and Business partner DeVos tried a drive-in restaurant and a charter airline Business before launching Amway.
His key to success was a dedicated corps of salespeople who pitched the company's wares and recruited others to do the same.
He grew up in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
He was a strong believer in free enterprise and a generous supporter of Republican causes. He also liked to sprinkle his motivational speeches with quotes from Presidents Ronald Reagan and Gerald R. Ford.
