Click here to order the May 2016 issue in which this article appeared.
We’re wrapping up a month of celebrations at Direct Selling News, first with the April 1 publication recognizing our inaugural class of Best Places to Work in Direct Selling honorees and then just a few days later the seventh annual Global 100 Celebration.
We were honored to have record levels of participation in the Global 100 program. Nearly 400 people attended the gala, including some who traveled from Canada, Europe, Japan, Malaysia and Mexico, and many thousands participated in the countdown via social media. Twenty-five companies supported the Global 100 as sponsors, and we are especially grateful to each of them: Platinum sponsors A C N, Amway, Isagenix, It Works!, Jeunesse, Le-Vel and Total Life Changes; Gold sponsors AdvoCare, Ambit, Oriflame, Plexus, Stream, World Global Network, WorldVentures and Zurvita; and Silver sponsors New Avon, IDLife, Immunotec, LifeVantage, Mannatech, Mary Kay, Nerium, Nu Skin, Scentsy and Young Living. We also have been gratified to see so many companies celebrating their achievements on the Global 100 and North America 50 lists by sharing the news through their social networks and media contacts.
The list itself tells an exciting story of the power and potential direct selling has worldwide. This is the first year we’ve seen 20 companies with net sales of $1 billion or more, and it is the strongest showing for companies in the $500 million to $1 billion range as well. It is through the dedication and hard work of the entire direct selling community—executives, distributors and supplier partners alike—that the channel is able to bring unique, high-quality products and services to market while also offering a powerful path to entrepreneurship.
You’ll see even more coverage of the Global 100 in our June edition, which will feature in-depth analysis of the list along with profiles on all 100 companies. It also will include coverage of 2016 Bravo Leadership Award winner Magnus Brännström, CEO of Switzerland-based Oriflame, and 2016 Bravo Growth Award winner Le-Vel, which posted a 254 percent increase in net sales from $98.6 million in 2014 to $349 million in 2015.
For those of you attending the U.S. Direct Selling Association Annual Meeting in Phoenix June 5-7, be sure to stop by and say hello to the Direct Selling News team at Booth No. 904. We’d love an opportunity to connect in person and share story ideas, discuss upcoming research projects and explore ways in which we might be of service to you.
All the best,
Lauren Lawley Head
Publisher and Editor in Chief
