Deregulation of energy in the US has taken a new twist as Amway Corporation gets its fingers into the energy pie. In an announcement over the Amvox Voice Messaging System on Friday, November 28, 1997, Ken MacDonald of Amway Corporation made the following announcement to US Diamonds.

Friday, November 28, 1997 9:54 AM Amway North America

Hi everybody, this is Ken MacDonald with a special message for all US Diamonds. We know and you know that you've got the best business opportunity in the world, and you also have the best products and services in the world, from from SA8 with Bioquest, the most powerful and concentrated laundry detergent, to five new Nutrilite specialty products, to the incredible Rubbermaid Food Storage system where we've partnered with the best. Well now you have another opportunity, and that's energy. Energy is being deregulated, and it's starting with electricity, and it's starting in California. Amway distributors in California can be there when it happens, and capitalize on a big market of six million plus California households. And at Amway we're continuing our tradition of working only with the best. We've selected Enron for Amway's new energy services program, because they're the biggest and the best. Enron is American's largest wholesale provider of electricity and natural gas, and they've been in business for over 70 years, and they're a recognized leader in the industry. So this message is a heads-up to Amway leaders. The ink is still literally drying on this contract. More details will follow in the next week or so, and we're going to send a fax to all California DDs. Remember, right now the program is electricity only, and California only. Deregulation will bring future expansion throughout the US over the coming year.

So here's how it works. Signing up is as simple as a toll-free 800 number for distributors and their customers. You get 20 PV and 50 BV for each activated customer, plus a modest annual residual bonus for those customers and yourself. Couple that with guaranteed savings of ten percent over 1997 rates, and the opportunity to get two free weeks of electricity, and the decision to switch to Enron from Amway is pretty easy. And it's a great opportunity for you to go out and talk about this business in a new and exciting way.

Now there will be competition, there's always competition in this business. And Amway is going to be the only player with Enron-branded energy, and we'll be first in the game with the biggest and the best. Our experience with long-distance has taught us that there are people out there who will over-promise and under-deliver, or switch customers to a new provider without their consent. But it won't be us, it won't be Amway distributors. It's important to you and Amway and Enron that we hold ourselves to the highest standard and do everything possible to keep these mistakes from being repeated in our energy business. We will be a role model for this newly deregulated business.

So we look forward to sharing more details with you in the near future, and we look forward to all of your downlines having something new and exciting to talk about. Because this truly is the best business opportunity in the world. Thanks a lot everybody.

So, Amway is truly becoming a power broker! The company they have chosen to affiliate with, Enron, is a wholesaler of electrical and natural gas energy. Last year, Enron's natural gas division donated over $1 million to Republican Congressional candidates. The Republican congress of the past two years has made massive attempts to undo the environmental progress that has been made in this country for the past 20 years.

According to Hoover's Business Summaries, Enron, North America's largest buyer and seller of natural gas, also builds and manages worldwide natural gas transportation, power generation, liquids, and clean fuels facilities. While most of its business is in domestic gas operations and power services, Enron focuses on emerging markets with power plant and pipeline projects (Bolivia, Brazil, China, and Puerto Rico). It also operates a natural gas pipeline in Argentina; markets gas in Europe; and has oil and gas exploration and production operations. The company develops renewable energy projects. Enron solidified its move into power production and energy trading by buying electric utility Portland General.

Enron was involved in a solar installation on the Greek island of Crete. They have a presence in the Philippines, Sardinia, Brazil, China and Puerto Rico, to name a few other countries. Not coincidentally, Amway also has a presence in these countries. This move into utility power takes the Amway concepts of residual income and self-usage to a new level.

This page was last updated on Mar-03-98