Amway Ii: The Kids Take Over

The Tarrant County Convention Center in Fort Worth was rocking last September. Some 10,000 Amway Corp. distributors were on their feet, swaying to the beat of a Christian rock band. Just offstage, Amway Chairman Stephen A. Van Andel awaited the spotlight. Reserved and soft-spoken in private, the lanky, 6-foot-6-inch Van Andel was a changed man when he bounded to the microphone.

"Whoop, whoop, freedom!" he yelled, his fist pumping the air. The crowd erupted. Van Andel had flown 1,500 miles to give a 15-minute speech to a crowd that treated him like a rock star. To them, Steve Van Andel was a crown prince, half of a new team that would lead Amway into the next century. "We have now transitioned to the second generation of the Amway business," he said to thunderous applause. "And it's the first of many transitions to come."