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'''Frank''' '''L.''' '''VanderSloot''' (born August 14, 1948) is an American entrepreneur, radio network owner and cattle rancher. He is chief executive officer of Melaleuca, Inc., an ],-headquartered ] company that sells ], cleaning supplies, and personal-care products.<ref name=Forbes>{{cite web|last=Berman|first=Phyllis|title=Forbes.com If You Believe|url=http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2004/1011/089.html|publisher=Forbes.com}}</ref><ref name=inc>{{cite web|last=Fried|first=John|title=Inc.com Hall of Fame Profile: Frank L. Vandersloot|url=http://www.inc.com/magazine/20041015/hidi-vandersloot.html}}</ref> '''Frank''' '''L.''' '''VanderSloot''' (born August 14, 1948) is an American entrepreneur, radio network owner and cattle rancher. He is chief executive officer of Melaleuca, Inc., an ]-headquartered a company that sells ], cleaning supplies, and personal-care products.<ref name=Forbes>{{cite web|last=Berman|first=Phyllis|title=Forbes.com If You Believe|url=http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2004/1011/089.html|publisher=Forbes.com}}</ref><ref name=inc>{{cite web|last=Fried|first=John|title=Inc.com Hall of Fame Profile: Frank L. Vandersloot|url=http://www.inc.com/magazine/20041015/hidi-vandersloot.html}}</ref> Melaleuca has been accused by some of being a ] company, but is described by others as now being a direct-marketing company.<ref name=Popkey/><ref name=Cockerham /><ref name=inc />


VanderSloot served as the national finance co-chair for ] bid to serve as the ] 2008 presidential candidate and was chosen as one of thirteen national finance co-chairs for Romney's 2012 presidential campaign.<ref>{{cite news|last=Confessore|first=Nicholas|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/01/us/politics/campaign-finance-reports-show-super-pac-donors.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all|title=G.O.P. Donors Showing Thirst to Oust Obama in November|publisher=The New York Times|accessdate=17 May 2012|date=2012-01-31}}</ref><ref name=Chang1/> VanderSloot served as the national finance co-chair for ] bid to serve as the ] 2008 presidential candidate and was chosen as one of thirteen national finance co-chairs for Romney's 2012 presidential campaign.<ref>{{cite news|last=Confessore|first=Nicholas|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/01/us/politics/campaign-finance-reports-show-super-pac-donors.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all|title=G.O.P. Donors Showing Thirst to Oust Obama in November|publisher=The New York Times|accessdate=17 May 2012|date=2012-01-31}}</ref><ref name=Chang1/>

Revision as of 02:02, 18 September 2012

Frank L. VanderSloot (born August 14, 1948) is an American entrepreneur, radio network owner and cattle rancher. He is chief executive officer of Melaleuca, Inc., an Idaho Falls, Idaho-headquartered a company that sells nutritional supplements, cleaning supplies, and personal-care products. Melaleuca has been accused by some of being a multi-level marketing company, but is described by others as now being a direct-marketing company.

VanderSloot served as the national finance co-chair for Mitt Romney's bid to serve as the Republican Party's 2008 presidential candidate and was chosen as one of thirteen national finance co-chairs for Romney's 2012 presidential campaign.

Early life and education

Born to a Dutch immigrant family, VanderSloot grew up on a small farm in Cocolalla, Idaho. His father, Frank, worked as a painter for the Northern Pacific Railway. As a teenager, Vandesloot attended Sandpoint High School, graduating in 1966. At the age of 16, he converted to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS), and later served on a 2-year LDS mission in the Netherlands. VanderSloot earned an associate’s degree in business at Ricks College in Rexburg, Idaho, and in 1972, he graduated from Brigham Young University with a bachelor's degree in Business Administration.

Career

Prior to Melaleuca, VanderSloot served as a Regional Vice President for Automatic Data Processing (ADP), then later as Vice President for Cox Communications.

CEO of Melaleuca

In 1985, VanderSloot was offered the helm of a startup multi-level marketing business (Oil of Melaleuca, Inc.) in Idaho Falls, Idaho by his brothers-in-law Roger and Allen Ball. Oil of Melaleuca subsequently failed to achieve significant market share and was targeted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration because the company’s salespeople were making exaggerated medical claims. The partners shut down the company and later that year reopened as Melaleuca, Inc. The current company sells nutritional supplements, cleaning supplies, and personal-care products, which are distributed through multilevel marketing. Melaleuca operates internationally, with U.S. operations centered in Idaho Falls, Idaho, and Knoxville, Tennessee. Melaleuca was recognized as an Inc 500 Hall of Fame business in 2000. According to VanderSloot, Melaleuca had gross sales in excess of one billion dollars in 2011. Melaleuca is a member of the United States Direct Selling Association, a trade association and political lobbying group that represents multilevel marketing companies.

Other business ventures

VanderSloot owns Riverbend Ranch, a business he began as a means of teaching his children about the value of hard work. It has grown into one of the largest in the United States for both purebred cattle operations and commercial cattle operations. He also owns Fort Ranch Quarter Horses in Promontory, Utah.

VanderSloot also owns Riverbend Communications, a group of radio broadcast stations in Eastern Idaho that he purchased from Bonneville Communications in 2006. Riverbend Communications operates KLCE Classy 97, KCVI Kbear 101, KTHK 105.5 The Hawk, KFTZ Z103, and KBLI News-Talk AM 690 - 1260.

Net worth

In 2004, VanderSloot was included on the Forbe’s 400 list of wealthiest Americans. According to Forbe’s VanderSloot was worth $700 million and his company Melaleuca, for which VanderSloot owns 55% of the voting stock and 44% of the nonvoting stock, was valued at $1.4 billion. Although VanderSloot does not publically disclose his personal worth, estimates in 2011 suggest that Melaleuca would be valued at $3.2 billion to $3.9 billion were it to go public.

Public activity

United States Chamber of Commerce

VanderSloot serves on the board of directors of the United States Chamber of Commerce.

Political campaign financing

In 1994, VanderSloot supported Democrat Larry EchoHawk’s campaign to become governor of Idaho, but subsequently become the state’s most boisterous conservative financier.

VanderSloot helped finance the election campaigns of several conservative members of the Idaho Supreme Court and Idaho District Court. In 2000, VanderSloot was the primary contributor, donating $50,000, to Concerned Citizens for Family Values for an attack ad campaign against incumbent Idaho Supreme Court Justice Cathy Silak, who was running against Republican challenger Daniel T. Eismann. The ads alleged that if Silak were re-elected, same-sex marriage and "partial-birth abortion" could become legal in Idaho. Eismann defeated Silak and became the Court’s Chief Justice in 2001. In 2006 VanderSloot and his wife Belinda donated nearly $15,000 in a third-party campaign – calling itself Citizens for Truth and Justice – that helped defeat Idaho 7th District Court Judge James Herndon, a Democrat. In 2010, VanderSloot and Melaleuca provided funds via Idaho Citizens for Justice and Citizens for Commonsense Solutions for attack ads against Idaho 2nd District Judge John Bradbury, a Democrat, in support of Republican incumbent Supreme Court Justice Roger Burdick.

In 2002, VanderSloot and Melaleuca contributed more than $50,000 opposing the election bid of Democrat Keith Roark, a former Blaine County prosecutor, for Idaho Attorney General. The contributions included a $35,000 donation to Roark’s Republican opponent, Lawrence Wasden, and a $16,500 donation to Citizens for Family Values, an organization run by Vandersloot, to finance a radio attack ad against Roark in Eastern Idaho. That year, VanderSloot and Melaleuca also donated $7,000 towards the 2002 gubernatorial campaign of Republican Dirk Kempthorne.

VanderSloot served as the national finance co-chair for Mitt Romney's unsuccessful bid to serve as the Republican Party's 2008 presidential candidate. In 2012, VanderSloot was chosen as national finance co-chair for Romney's 2012 presidential campaign. In 2012, VanderSloot’s companies contributed a total of $1 million to the Restore Our Future political action committee, a group that supports Romney for President. According to VanderSloot, he raised somewhere between $2 million to $5 million in total or the Romney campaign.

On April 20, 2012, a website operated by Barack Obama’s campaign team included VanderSloot on a list of 8 major donors to Mitt Romney’s 2012 presidential campaign who have "questionable and troubling records on various issues" and described him as a "litigious, combative, and a bitter foe of the gay rights movement". VanderSloot waged an aggressive response, making a series of appearances on the Fox News Channel in which he called for donations to Romney in protest of the list. VanderSloot, who accused the Obama campaign of targeting him unfairly, said that he went through "living hell" and that his company Melaleuca lost about 200 customers in the first two weeks after the list appeared. In July 2012, it was announced that VanderSloot was the subject of two new federal audits, one by the Internal Revenue Service and the other by the U.S. Department of Labor. VanderSloot said that the timing of the audits was curious and questionable, claiming that he received notice of the IRS audit two months after he was "singled out by the Obama campaign for having questionable and troubling records on various issues;" however, he noted that he did not think that the President was directly behind the audits.

LGBT issues

In 1999 VanderSloot spent an undisclosed sum to sponsor billboards around the state of Idaho asking "Should public television promote the homosexual lifestyle? Think about it!” in reference to It's Elementary, a 1999 PBS documentary exploring how four schools dealt with homosexuality. VanderSloot's efforts, and his wife's $100,000 donation to the Proposition 8 initiative to rescind gay marriage in California, drew criticism from the Human Rights Campaign. VanderSloot responded online: “Our company has thousands of gay customers, independent marketing executives, and employees. I believe they feel welcome and valued. I believe that people deserve freedom, respect, and privacy in their own lives.”

In 2006, VanderSloot issued critical statements regarding an award-winning series of investigative articles in the Idaho Falls Post Register about incidents of child molestation by Brad Stowell while serving as a Boy Scout director in the Grand Teton Council. According to Peter Zuckerman, the author of the articles, the Mormon Church and Idaho Boy Scout officials had received prior reports of some of the incidents at the Council's Camp Little Lemhi and that Stowell was a pedophile, but had failed to take appropriate action. Zuckerman also reported on the 1983 rape of a junior counselor by Dennis Empey, an Idaho Scout camp swimming instructor, and the case of Scoutmaster Jeff Hardin, a counselor at Camp Little Lemhi who was was convicted of lewd conduct for molesting a Scout. VanderSloot took out full-page ads in the Post Register that challenged the stories and devoted several paragraphs to establishing that Zuckerman is gay. One of VanderSloot's editorials asserted that "the Boy Scout’s position of not letting gay men be scout leaders, and the LDS Church’s position that marriage should be between a man and a woman may have caused to attack the scouts and the LDS Church through his journalism." Another claimed "there is nothing wrong with having homosexual reporters, but since the Boy Scouts’ policy of not allowing homosexual men to be scout leaders has produced so much anger against the scouts from the homosexual community, it seems that if the Post Register had wanted a fair and balanced story on the Boy Scouts, they would have assigned a reporter who did not have a personal ax to grind." VanderSloot was accused of outing Zuckerman, and although VanderSloot denied the charge, Post Register editor Dean Miller confirmed that Zuckerman's sexual orientation was known only by Zuckerman's family and a few of his close friends and colleagues.

According to VanderSloot, he employed Paul Steed, the father of two of Stowell’s victims, after the publication of Zuckerman's articles; helped broker a settlement between the Boy Scouts and the Steeds; and gave Espey's victim Jeff Bird a $30,000 check.

Defamation lawsuit threats

According to Rachel Maddow and other sources, VanderSloot has threatened defamation lawsuits, copyright infringement and other legal action against critics and outlets that have published critical views, including Maddow herself, Forbes magazine, lawyer Glenn Greenwald, Mother Jones Magazine, and Idaho journalist Jody May-Chang.

Philanthropy

VanderSloot created the Melaleuca Foundation, a non-profit organization, in 2001 to help victims of the September 11th attacks. Through its fundraising initiatives, the Melaleuca Foundation has been the primary financial supporter of the Santa Lucia Children's Home in Quito, Ecuador, which provides aid to orphaned and abused children. In 2007, VanderSloot's company Melaleuca received the Salvation Army Others Award for helping with relief efforts following Hurricane Katrina.

Each year since 1992, Melaleuca has organized the Melaleuca Freedom Celebration, in Idaho Falls. The event is billed as the largest Independence Day fireworks display west of the Mississippi.

Personal life

Vandersloot has been married to Belinda VanderSloot (nee Belinda Boyock), his fourth wife, since 1995 and they currently reside in Idaho Falls, ID. Together they have sixteen children: six from Frank VanderSloot’s two prior marriages, and eight from Belinda VanderSloot’s first marriage. VanderSloot was previously married to Kathleen VanderSloot (née Kathleen Zundel), his first wife, and Vivian VanderSloot, his third wife.

See Also

References

  1. ^ Berman, Phyllis. "Forbes.com If You Believe". Forbes.com.
  2. ^ Fried, John. "Inc.com Hall of Fame Profile: Frank L. Vandersloot".
  3. ^ Popkey, Dan (October 12, 2011). "Starting with oil from Australian tea trees, Melaleuca's Frank VanderSloot built a far-reaching wellness product empire in Idaho Falls". Idaho Statesman. Retrieved 09/12//2012. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); External link in |accessdate= (help)
  4. ^ Cockerham, Sean (May 18, 2012). "Idaho businessman VanderSloot says Obama is smearing him". Idaho Statesman. Retrieved 09/12/2012. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  5. Confessore, Nicholas (2012-01-31). "G.O.P. Donors Showing Thirst to Oust Obama in November". The New York Times. Retrieved 17 May 2012.
  6. ^ Chang, Jody May (May 25, 2012). "Jody May-Chang: Romney backer Frank VanderSloot's anti-gay record is fair game". Idaho Statesman. Retrieved 09/12/2012. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  7. "Frank Vandersloot". Sandpoint Magazine Online.
  8. "Two Southeast Idahoans Inducted into Idahos Hall of Fame". Business Wire. Retrieved 12 October 2007.
  9. "Melaleuca Inc". Funding Universe.
  10. Mencimer, Stephanie (May/June 2012). "Get-Rich-Quick Profiteers Love Mitt Romney, and He Loves Them Back". Mother Jones. Retrieved 09/08/2012. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  11. Dickinson, Tim (May 24, 2012). "Right-Wing Billionaires Behind Mitt Romney". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 09/08/2012. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  12. ^ Mencimer, Stephanie. "Pyramid-Like Company Ponies Up $1 Million for Mitt Romney". Mother Jones. Retrieved 2012. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  13. "Get To Know Melaleuca". Melaleuca Inc.
  14. "What Does a Billion Dollars Mean?". Melaleuca Inc. Retrieved 1 February 2012.
  15. "About Direct Selling". DSA. Retrieved 2012-07-25.
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  20. Berman, Phyllis (October 11, 2004). "Forbes 400 -- If You Believe". Forbe's Magazine. Retrieved 09/12/2012. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  21. "Frank L. Vandersloot".
  22. ^ Trillhaase, Marty (May 27, 2010). "VanderSloot won Supreme Court race". Lewiston Morning Tribune. Retrieved 09/17/2102. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  23. Fisher, Jim (January 3, 2006). "If you buy radio stations, who needs attack ads?". Lewiston Morning Tribune. Retrieved 09/17/2012. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  24. "It's Your Turn to Judge the Judge (Ad Paid for by Belinda & Frank VanderSloot)" (PDF). Truth and Justice for Idaho. Retrieved 09/17/2012. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  25. Russell, Betsy Z (May 25, 2010). "Group stages last-minute attack". Spokesman-Review. Retrieved 09/17/2012. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  26. "Company files suit against Roark". Lewiston Morning Tribune. November 2, 2002. Retrieved 09/12/2012. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  27. ^ Fisher, Jim (November 8, 2002). "Peddling wellness and last minute political smears". Lewiston Morning Tribune.
  28. Fisher, Jim (October 10, 2003). "Kempthorne defends use of interest-free loan". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved 09/12/2012. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  29. ^ Vogel, Kenneth P (May 31, 2012). "Mega-donors: Quit picking on us". Politico. Retrieved 09/17/2012. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  30. "Behind the curtain: A brief history of Romney's donors". Obama for America. April 20, 2012. Retrieved 09/17/2012. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  31. ^ Dvorak, Todd (July 26, 2012). "Vandersloot subject of IRS, Labor Dept. audits". Idaho Press-Tribune. Retrieved 09/17/2012. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  32. Weber, Joseph (July 25, 2012). "Romney donor bashed by Obama campaign now target of two federal audits". Fox News. Retrieved 09/17/2012. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  33. Seabrook, Andrea (June 20, 2012). "Big Political Donors Shy Away From Public Scrutiny". National Public Radio. Retrieved 09/17/2012. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  34. Schouten, Fredreka (6/20/2012). "Democrats, GOP debate political non-profits' donors". USA Today. Retrieved 09/17/2012. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  35. Prentice, George (July 26, 2012). "Vandersloot Says Being on 'Enemies List' Triggered Audits". Boise Weekly. Retrieved 09/17/2012. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  36. Smith, Lenny (July 24, 2012). "VanderSloot to be audited by two federal agencies". KIFI-TV. Retrieved 09/17/2012. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  37. Assem Mrque, Diaa Hadid (Jul 25, 2012). "Vandersloot subject of IRS, Labor Dept. audits". KOMO-TV. Retrieved 09/17/2012. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  38. ^ Ring, Trudy (3/10/2012). "HRC to Romney: Ditch Anti-LGBT Finance Chair". Advocate.com. Retrieved May, 2012. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  39. "Response From Frank Vandersloot". Frank Vandersloot.
  40. Vandersloot, Frank. "Responsible Journalism or Misleading Propaganda?" (PDF). The Community Page. Retrieved 09/09/12. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  41. ^ Melaleuca, Inc. "Post Register Attacks the Scouts Again" (PDF). The Community Page. Retrieved 09/17/2012. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  42. Zuckerman, Peter. "Scout's Honor". Post Register. Retrieved 09/09/2012. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  43. "[[Exposé: America's Investigative Reports]] -- In a Small Town". PBS. Retrieved 09/17/2012. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); URL–wikilink conflict (help)
  44. ^ Miller, Dean. "A Local Newspaper Endures a Stormy Backlash". Nieman Reports. Retrieved 17 May 2012.
  45. ^ "Wealthy Romney fundraiser apologizes for gay reporter's 'personal pain'". The Rachel Maddow Show. May 05, 2012. Retrieved 09/12/2012. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  46. ^ "VanderSloot Responds To Allegations Of Threatening Media". KIFI Local News 8.
  47. ^ Greenwald, Glenn (February 17, 2012). "Billionaire Romney donor uses threats to silence critics". Salon. Retrieved 09/16/2012. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  48. The Rachel Maddow Show, 15 May 2012, http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/#47454638
  49. "A Special Cause: The Santa Lucia Children's Home". Melaleuca Inc. Retrieved 28 May 2012.
  50. "Salvation Army "The Others Award" Recipients, Melaleuca". Melaleuca Inc.
  51. "Freedom Celebration". Melaleuca.
  52. "The Extra Mile - Evacuee family finds friends, new start in Idaho Falls". LDS Church. Retrieved 17 September 2005.

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