Steve Van Andel

Vice Chairman, U.S. Chamber of Commerce
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Amway

Ada, Michigan

 Download a printable bio (PDF)

Hi-resolution photo

Steve Van Andel is responsible for managing the daily operations of Amway. He shares the company’s Office of the Chief Executive with President Doug DeVos.

Van Andel has been chairman of the company since 1995 and is the oldest son of Amway co-founder Jay Van Andel. In 1959, Jay and his lifelong friend and business partner, Rich DeVos, started Amway from their homes in Ada, Michigan. In five decades, Amway has grown from a small company selling a single cleaning product into one of the world’s largest direct selling companies. Van Andel succeeded his father as chairman in 1995. As chairman, he led the expansion of the business into a stronger, more diversified company to be more competitive in the new economy.

Before becoming chairman, Van Andel was Amway’s vice president–Americas, overseeing the company’s business operations in North and South America. He also served as vice president of Marketing.

On June 12, 2002, Van Andel concluded his one-year term as chairman of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Subsequently, he served as chairman of the board’s Executive Committee. He currently holds the position of past chairman and member of the board. Van Andel also continues his work on behalf of free trade as vice chairman of the U.S.-Korea Business Council.

Van Andel is dedicated to the renewal of downtown Grand Rapids, lending his time and support to the Grand Action Committee, the Van Andel Museum Center, and the Van Andel Institute, a major health research center in Grand Rapids. He also serves on the dean’s advisory board for the Seidman College of Business at Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Michigan.

Van Andel serves on the boards of Business Leaders for Michigan, the Gerald R. Ford Foundation, the Grand Rapids John Ball Zoo Society, the Metropolitan Health Corp., and the Metropolitan Hospital Foundation in Grand Rapids.

Van Andel earned a bachelor’s degree in economics and business administration from Hillsdale College in Hillsdale, Michigan, and is a member of the school’s board of trustees. He earned an M.B.A. in marketing from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.