Faith and Public Life: The Amway Christian

A profile of Mr. Richard DeVos:

Richard DeVos believes that religious faith, private enterprise, charity and commercial life are connected in a straightforward way: "Freedom is a gift from God," he tells me. "With freedom, we can show compassion. And compassion breeds success."

Mr. DeVos certainly knows success. He is the co-founder, with his childhood friend Jay Van Andel, of Amway Corp., the international direct seller of cleaning products, cosmetics and other household items. The two men started the company in their Grand Rapids, Mich., homes in 1959. Still in the DeVos and Van Andel families today, Amway has grown into a $6 billion conglomerate operating under the parent firm Alticor. The success of Amway and its related companies has made Mr. DeVos one of America's wealthiest men.

Among the forces behind his financial success, Mr. DeVos maintains, is his faith. He is a life-long practicing member of the Christian Reformed denomination (a group of Calvinist evangelicals).

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