Frank L VanderSloot

At the helm of Idaho’s sixth-largest, privately held company, Frank L. VanderSloot, 55, has had a tremendous journey since his childhood in Cocolalla, Idaho. The 1966 Sandpoint High School grad makes his home in Idaho Falls, Idaho, where his international manufacturing company is headquartered. He oversees thousands of Melaleuca employees and marketing executives. His company generates more than $450 million in annual revenue through a sales force that reaches nearly 650,000 households across North America, Taiwan, Japan, Australia, Hong Kong, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. Melaleuca’s catalog contains more than 300 consumable products that are non-toxic; many contain Melaleuca oil, also known as tea tree oil. VanderSloot, the third in a family of four children, still has ties to the area. His mother, Margaret, is 88 and lives in a log cabin close to the original farmhouse; his older sister, Luana, lives nearby as does his younger sister, Marguerite. His father, Frank, died in 1982. Married to Belinda since 1995, Frank has six children that when combined with his wife’s eight children creates a blended family of 14. A member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints since 1965, Frank served a two-year mission in the Netherlands and is still active in his church. VanderSloot earned an associate’s degree in business at Ricks College in Rexburg, Idaho, followed by a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Brigham Young University. He held key management positions with two Fortune 500 companies prior to starting Melaleuca in September 1985. Under VanderSloot’s leadership, Melaleuca has been ranked high on the Inc. Magazine list of the nation’s 500 fastest-growing, private companies and is one of only 55 companies in America to be listed as a member of the Inc. 500 Hall of Fame. Most recently, Melaleuca was awarded the 2003 Environmental Excellence Award by the Idaho Association of Commerce and Industry. In June 2001, VanderSloot was named Ernst & Young, CNN and USA Today’s “Entrepreneur of the Year” for the U.S. Northwestern region. VanderSloot serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and was recently named regional vice-chairman for the organization. In addition to managing Melaleuca, Frank and Belinda own several large cattle ranches. VanderSloot’s favorite activities involve his family and Idaho’s great outdoors.