Jay Van Andel, (b. June 3, 1924 - d. December 4, 2004) was an American businessman best-known as co-founder of the Amway Corporation; he was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... is the 154th day of the year (155th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1924 (MCMXXIV) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 338th day of the year (339th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Headquarters in Ada, Michigan Amway is a multi-level marketing, or network marketing, company founded in 1959 by Jay Van Andel and Rich DeVos. ... Nickname: Location of Grand Rapids within Kent County, Michigan Coordinates: , Country United States State Michigan County Kent Founded 1826 Incorporation (city) 1850 Government  - Mayor (Part-time) George Heartwell Area  - City  45. ...

He was also known as a ([1]) philanthropist for religious missions and conservative political causes], including the Republican Party. Shortly before his death from Parkinson's Disease-related complications on 4 December 2004, aged 80, Forbes Magazine estimated his net worth at $2.3 billion, making him the world's 231st richest individual. The Republican Party, often called the GOP (for Grand Old Party, although one early citation described it as the Gallant Old Party) [1], is one of the two major political parties in the United States. ... is the 338th day of the year (339th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Alternate meaning: For the Boston Brahmin family associated with John Forbes Kerry, see Forbes family. ... Forbes magazine annually lists the worlds wealthiest individuals: The Worlds Billionaries. ...

Van Andel co-founded Amway with Rich DeVos in 1959. This was not their first joint venture; DeVos had been a high-school classmate of Van Andel's, and the two had worked together in several business ventures in the twenty years prior to the founding of Amway. These included a flying school, a drive-in restaurant (the first in Grand Rapids), and the Ja-Ri Corporation, which sold vitamins and food supplements. With Ja-Ri they experimented with multi-level marketing, a way of building sales distribution networks based on individuals' personal contacts, and subsequently applied the same principle to Amway. Amway began as a family business, operating out of the basements of their neighborhood homes, and initially sold only one product, a biodegradable household cleaner. Richard DeVos (1926-) is one of the founders of Amway, reorganized as Alticor in 2000, now distributes more than US$4. ... Year 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Ja-Ri Corporation was the original Nutrilite multi-level marketing distributorship founded by Jay Van Andel and Richard DeVos. ... Multi-level marketing (MLM) is a business model that combines direct marketing with franchising. ...

The company has since grown to 13,000 employees and several million distributors in more than 80 countries. Its parent company, Alticor, has worldwide sales of $6.2 billion with China being its largest market. After being accused of being an illegal pyramid scheme, the Federal Trade Commission in 1979 ruled after a two-year investigation that it was not, although it ordered some changes in Amway practices. Alticor is a privately-held corporation, owned by members of the DeVos and Van Andel families. ... | logo_caption = | seal = US-FederalTradeCommission-Seal. ... Also: 1979 by Smashing Pumpkins. ...

Van Andel was succeeded as Chairman of Amway by his son, Steve, in 1995. His lifelong business partner, Rich DeVos, had already handed over the Presidency of Amway to his son Dick in 1992. The founders' sons shared the newly created office of Chief Executive of Amway. Year 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full 1995 Gregorian calendar). ... Dick DeVos Dick DeVos (born Richard DeVos, Jr. ... Year 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar). ...

From 1985, Van Andel was a member of the Heritage Foundation, and was at the time of his death a trustee of the traditionally conservative Hillsdale College. A strong supporter of the Republican Party, Van Andel contributed $2 million to the reelection campaign of President George W. Bush, and $475,000 to the Michigan State Republican Party (mostly for state legislative candidates) in 2004 alone. He was noted for his friendship with former President Gerald Ford, who lamented his passing and called him "a great family man and a worldwide leader in the business arena". Van Andel had served as a director of the Gerald R. Ford Foundation. This article is about the year. ... The Heritage Foundation is a public policy research institute based in Washington, D.C., in the United States. ... Ths article deals with conservatism as a political philosophy. ... Hillsdale College is an independent, co-educational, nonsectarian, liberal arts college located on the north side of the city of Hillsdale in central-southern Michigan, United States. ... The Republican Party, often called the GOP (for Grand Old Party, although one early citation described it as the Gallant Old Party) [1], is one of the two major political parties in the United States. ... For other uses, see President of the United States (disambiguation). ... George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is the 43rd and current President of the United States, inaugurated on January 20, 2001. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... For other persons named Gerald Ford, see Gerald Ford (disambiguation). ...

In addition to Amway, Van Andel pursued many other business ventures throughout his life. He served as chairman of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. He was particularly interested in leaving his mark on the city of Grand Rapids, and his name appears on landmarks throughout the city. After purchasing the 65-year-old Pantlind Hotel in 1978, he and DeVos had it rebuilt with a 29-story tower and reopened as the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is the worlds largest not-for-profit business federation, representing 3,000,000 businesses 2,800 state and local chambers 830 business associations They are staffed with policy specialists, lobbyists and lawyers. ... Year 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1978 Gregorian calendar). ... Amway Grand Plaza Hotel is located in Grand Rapids, Michigan and is named for the multi-level marketing company Amway, which is based in Grand Rapids. ...

He donated substantial funds to build the Van Andel Museum Center to house the Grand Rapids Public Museum in 1994. He donated $11.5 million towards the $75 million cost of Van Andel Arena downtown. Since he and his wife suffered from serious medical problems later in life, he established the Van Andel Institute (devoted to medical research and education), building its headquarters in Grand Rapids at a cost of $60 million, and pledging most of his personal estate to it. Year 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display full 1994 Gregorian calendar). ... The Van Andel Arena. ...

His wife, Betty Van Andel, predeceased him on 18 January 2004, at the age of 82. A sufferer of Alzheimer's Disease, she died at their Peter Island home in the Caribbean. is the 18th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Peter Island was discovered by Christopher Columbus while he was exploring the area around the Virgin Islands. ... “West Indian” redirects here. ...

A member of the Christian Reformed Church, Van Andel had a life-long interest in Christian causes, and funded many religious ventures, including a research station in Arizona that sought to establish scientific support for the theory of Creationism. The Christian Reformed Church in North America (CRCNA or CRC) is a Protestant Christian denomination which follows Reformed Calvinist theology. ... Official language(s) English Spoken language(s) English 74. ... Creationism is the belief that humanity, life, the Earth, and the universe were created in their original form by a deity or deities (often the Abrahamic God of Judaism, Christianity and Islam), whose existence is presupposed. ...

He summed up his business philosophy in his autobiography An Enterprising Life, in these words: "For me, the greatest pleasure comes not from the endless acquisition of material things, but from creating wealth and giving it away."

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