Greetings!
Greetings to all my IBO friends across North America. We are deep into autumn and heading into the winter months, with leaves still falling in the south and snowflakes already hitting the ground in the north. The new Amway fiscal year has already begun and the first month or two are showing strong signs of growth over last year and North American IBO productivity continues to climb. VCS continues to be strong and new product launches in Artistry, Nutrilite Organic Herbals, and XS Sport Nutrition are going to add a big buzz to our customer sales.
I had the honor of serving the North American IBOs as Chairman for the past two years This has been one of my greatest challenges as well as one of my greatest thrills during my entire Amway career spanning over 36 years. I could not do it without the guidance of Bob Andrews (Mentoring Chairman Emeritus), Jody Victor and Bill Hawkins (Governance and Oversight), Howie Danzik (Vice Chairman), Vinny Pappalardo (Past Chairman), and Kathy Victor (CEO). I might add that our Executive Director, Sandy Chapman, is invaluable to all of us and her commitment and dedication to the Field goes under-appreciated. Your IBOAI Board is extremely busy and engaged in the Business of making the Amway Opportunity better for IBOs for generations to come. We are YOUR VOICE, and we never forget that we serve all of you.
I have great news to report. We have completed our elections for the 2024 IBOAI Board. We also have five IBO leaders whose three-year terms are ending this year. They are Howie Danzik, Shivaram Kumar, Maribel Galan, Sugeet Ajmani, and myself. Howie, Kumar and I were re-elected and will be returning to start another three-year term beginning January 2024. We are so appreciative of Maribel's and Sugeet's dedication and service to the Board and the IBO Field that they represent. I am very proud to announce that Candice Winston and Steve Victor have been elected to serve on your Board starting in January. Special shout-out to Candice as this will be her first time serving. Steve Victor and Candice Winston will be serving on the Business Operations Committee. Given the strong and diverse makeup of Board members next year, I have no doubt that you are in good hands.
I am pleased to announce that Vinny Pappalardo will be serving as your Chairman next year and Howie Danzik will be your Vice Chairman. Vinny has served as Chairman in the past and his leadership will serve him well again. Because Vinny and Howie are so respected by the Field, they will no doubt be very successful in their roles. I will stay on in the Past Chairman role to give counsel and advice to the incoming officers, as long as G&O believes I can help in the transition.
At the October Board meetings, we traditionally take time to reflect on the history of the Board going back to 1959. The success of the Amway Business for over six decades now is largely attributed to great IBO leaders who exhibit exceptional character and leadership abilities. Over the years we have created special awards named after the Founders that represent remarkable character traits that make outstanding Board members.
This year we presented the Jere Dutt Lifetime Achievement Award to none other than Jody Victor. Jody Victor has been a qualified Diamond and above since 1976 and this Amway Business and the IBOAI Board would not be what it is without this special hero of ours. The Jody Victor Guardian Award was presented to two staunch defenders of this Business and free enterprise over the decades. Their names are Bill Hawkins and Bob Andrews. We stand on their shoulders, and I am personally forever indebted to them for what they have sown into me. The Fred Hansen Spirit Award was presented to our friend and Chief Marketing Officer for Amway North America, Kelli Templeton. Kelli is the most passionate person I have ever worked with at Amway for bringing innovative, exciting, and high-quality products to the IBOs for them to sell to customers. Her energy and enthusiasm for the IBO is contagious and she is well-deserving of her award. The IBOAI is proud to present The Managing Director of Amway North America Andrew Schmidt with the Joe Victor Leadership Award. Since Andrew has assumed the role of Managing Director, he has continuously exhibited extraordinary leadership in his ability to lead ANA through massive enhancements and transformation over the last couple years. Even more impactful is his ability to connect and collaborate with IBOAI and Field leadership to help improve this Business as a team. He is well-deserving of this prestigious award. I was so honored to also be awarded the Joe Victor Leadership Award by my peers. I am humbled to be recognized by my heroes and the people I respect most in life. I am a better IBO, husband, father and man because of these legends and in many ways, I still aspire to be like them. I hope you all learn to have the appreciation and gratitude for these role models who went before us like I do.
Here is an exciting update: The IBOAI has relaunched IBOFACTS.COM as a resource for IBOs and their customers and prospects. FAQs, IBOAI information, and a library of videos featuring wonderful philanthropic projects led by IBO leaders in North America are just some of the features. Watch for future additions and enhancements. The IBOAI also had a very strong presence at Achievers 2023 in Las Vegas, and it is always very productive to interact with IBO leaders at North American events.
That’s it for now. I want to remind everyone that we have the best Business in the world! I am very proud of our community, our relationship with the Amway staff, our history, and our vision for this Business. We help people live better lives and your IBOAI Board is dedicated to helping all of you succeed in your Amway Business no matter what your personal goals are.
Here's to your success!
Joe Markiewicz
Chairman, IBOAI Board
