  Young LivingFounded: 1994 Headquarters: Lehi, UT Top Executives: Jared Turner, President and COO, Mary Young, CEO Products: Essential Oils |
Young Living has an ambitious plan to elevate the company’s positive impact on the Earth, on communities, and on families around the world.
In 1994 when young living lifted off in its essential oil journey in direct selling, few could have predicted how far it would travel. But Founder D. Gary Young saw it clearly. Perhaps, it was because only he knew how to harness his own maverick style or understood exactly how hard he and his team could work to make it happen.
Leading from the front until his death last year, Young plowed fields, designed and built farm and distillery equipment, and formulated in the lab. Determination, dedication, drive and above all else an unstoppable energy and enthusiasm attracted millions of people to Young Living’s quality products—nontoxic, plant-derived essential oils.
By 2014, Young Living’s explosive growth outpaced its infrastructure. They invested heavily across the board and slowed expansion into new markets. By 2015, they achieved $1 billion in annual sales and repeated for the next three years. Revenue grew 800 percent between 2013 and 2017, and they reached $1.5 billion in sales for 2017. In 2018 they almost eclipsed the $2 billion mark with $1.9 billion sales.
In this 25th anniversary year, Young Living operates one of the most technologically advanced essential oil distilleries in North America, as well as 24 corporate-owned and partner farms in the U.S., Ecuador, Canada, France, Oman and elsewhere. They have 3,500 global employees, 6 million Members, representing 33 markets.
Young Living’s 5X5 Pledge
They have also embarked on a program they call the 5×5 Pledge, which President and COO Jared Turner believes will not only redefine Young Living’s role as an industry leader, but also elevate the company’s positive impact on the Earth, on communities, and on families around the world.
An amplification of Young’s vision for every home to utilize essential oils, the 5×5 Pledge focuses the company on specific targets, including charitable, environmental, supply chain, sales and customer goals.
Young Living’s 5×5 Pledge reads:
- Five times more people empowered by the D. Gary Young, Young Living Foundation
- Five years to zero waste
- Five or more corporate-owned or partner farms developed each year
- Five or more new markets opened each year
- Five million additional households reached in five years
Five Times Charitable Empowerment
Long before social media marketing or online amplification existed, Young understood the best way to get the word out about his products was person-to-person, one-on-one, face-to-face, friend-to-friend. Direct selling in its truest sense—that’s how Young Living was built and how it became one of the world’s largest direct selling companies.
“This business model allows Young Living to continue to build human connections; the opinion of a trusted friend will always outweigh flashy marketing campaigns and cold retail experiences, especially where wellness is concerned,” says Turner.
“Sharing the power of essential oils is natural to our distributors. So for those wanting to create additional income, this business allows them to lead with passion and purpose, rather than simply the pursuit of profit,” he says. Culturally, Young Living calls on Members to find their purpose or passion, which often comes in the form of charitable giving.
“We are passionate about collaborating with nature to bring our Members the purest products on Earth.” —Jared Turner, President and COO
“I believe that when God blesses you financially, it is your responsibility to help God’s children who are less fortunate, not only with money but also with giving of your time to help in other physical ways when possible,” Young once told Direct Selling News.
In 2009 the company formalized the D. Gary Young, Young Living Foundation. Today, Members help fund and support the Foundation’s key projects and partnerships. No matter how big or small their contributions, 100 percent of each Member’s donation is used to accelerate the work being done on the ground for the underserved. For instance in Chóngon, Ecuador, Member contributions help support over 300 students at the Young Living Academy—a Pre-K through 12th grade school—as they receive a quality education and have the opportunity to apply for university scholarships. Across Uganda, Ethiopia, and Cambodia, Members are fueling the fight to end human trafficking and restore victims through the Foundation’s partner Hope for Justice. They also help fund wellness and educational opportunities through partners Sole Hope and Healing Faith Uganda as well as the Foundation’s rebuilding efforts in Nepal.
“They immerse themselves in our unique culture that values purpose over profit. They bond with other Members from across the globe during these impactful and life-changing journeys, and carry the experiences with them for a lifetime,” says Turner.
Young Living intends to emphasize their purpose-driven culture and expand Member participation in the Foundation five times in the coming years.”
Five Years To Zero Waste
“Green” is a way of life for Young Living; not only in the attention paid to farming and production practices but also in the place they call home. As conscientious stewards of the planet and its inhabitants, Young Living got serious in the design and construction of a new Lehi, Utah global headquarters.
Buildings impact the health and well-being of people and the planet, but there are construction and design practices that ensure buildings will be less costly to maintain, generate less waste and reduce the use of resources. Young Living opted to utilize such “green building” practices and met the highest standards to qualify for the much-acclaimed LEED and Green Globe certifications.
The unique GHQ design organizes workspace for nearly 1,000 employees around a botanical atrium with two immense skylights and a three-story waterfall. This building is designed to help the company with their green initiatives.
To get there, Young Living’s GHQ has 20 eco-friendly features including solar roof panels, interior glass walls that maximize natural light, vehicle charging stations, extensive recycling systems, and a water filtration system. Keeping things local, construction materials were sourced regionally, and they even have a farm-to-table café. Additional facilities include a state-of-the-art science lab and research greenhouse.
“Young Living Global Headquarters is setting the standard principles for sustainable practices in our local community,” says Turner.
Farms, Markets, Households
Turner says the company is passionate about collaborating with nature to bring Members the purest products on Earth. “Our farms are the heart of our Seed to Seal commitment, and they will forever be part of our DNA,” he says. “They help us create a more stable and controlled supply chain, allow us to stay on the forefront of essential oil research, and empower our members with the knowledge of where their oils originate.”
Thus far in 2019, Young Living has opened two new corporate-owned or partner farms and three additional ones come online before the end of the year. The company is on track to offer Young Living essential oils in five new markets; however, the specifics about these openings are not yet available.
“With every new market Young Living opens, we open doors of wellness and empowerment to new Members in that market and to talented new employees, who are passionate about making a positive impact,” says Turner.
Both of which further the company’s mission for more people to experience whole-life wellness with Young Living and for the company to gain 5 million new households by 2024.
“We are firmly committed to our pioneering roots. Gary created this company through incessant innovation, consistent curiosity and a genuine love and respect of the Earth. As the founder of the modern-day essential oil movement, we believe the next 25 years will be even more exciting than our first quarter-century,” says Turner. “Our new building capped off our first quarter century with an exclamation point, while providing us with a solid foundation for future acceleration of Gary’s vision of essential oils in every home.”
Young Living takes their role as stewards of the Earth beyond the confines of their headquarters and company interactions with nature. Young Living recently donated 12,000 acres of land near the Duchesne River in Utah to assist in the recovery of the local ecosystem and help return it to its original pristine state.
Partnering with The Nature Conservancy and the Utah Department of Transportation, Young Living wants to ensure that the Duchesne River retains its original course, which is critical to the overall recovery of the ecosystem.
“With Young Living’s ongoing pledge to conserving our planet’s resources and commitment to meeting ethical and environmental standards, we are humbled by our responsibility and visibility as an industry ‘green’ leader. We take our stewardship of the planet seriously. We’re excited to continue that cause in our own backyard at Young Living’s new Global Headquarters building,” says Jared Turner, president and COO.
