By Park Si-soo

Amway is headed by two bosses ㅡ Chairman Steve Van Andel and President Doug DeVos. The company says that the two are completely equal in power and status in the corporate hierarchy.

Van Andel is responsible for managing daily operations of the company, while DeVos oversees the firm’s daily activities.

Alticor, the parent company of Amway, is privately held by the Van Andel and DeVos families and governed by a board of directors led by members of the two families and two outside directors.

Van Andel has been chairman of the company since 1995 and is the oldest son of its co-founder Jay Van Andel.

In 1959, Jay and his lifelong friend and business partner Rich DeVos started Amway from their homes in Michigan and in five decades Amway has grown from a small company selling a single cleaning product into one of the world’s largest direct selling firms.

Van Andel succeeded his father as chairman in 1995. He currently serves as vice chairman of the U.S. Korea Business Council. He earned a bachelor’s degree in economics and business administration from Hillsdale College in Michigan and earned an MBA in marketing from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.

DeVos has dedicated himself to the company since 1986, serving in various leadership positions in Asia, Europe and the United States.

He is the youngest son of Amway co-founder Rich DeVos. He is involved in numerous international, national, and local business and civic organizations, including the World Federation Direct Selling Association, the National Constitution Center, and Business Leaders for Michigan. DeVos currently is chairman of The Right Place, a regional economic development organization in West Michigan.

He earned a bachelor’s degree from Purdue University’s School of Management, and is a member of the Dean’s Advisory Council for Purdue’s Krannert School of Management.