Frank Leonard VanderSloot[1] (born August 14, 1948) is an American entrepreneur, radio network owner, rancher, and political campaign financier.

[2] In 1985, VanderSloot founded the multi-level marketing company Melaleuca Inc,[33][34][35][36][37][38][39] which sells nutritional supplements, cleaning supplies, and personal-care products,[2][14][33][40][41][42] and he has been president and chief executive officer ever since.

[50][51][52][53] According to a 2004 article by Phyllis Berman, Melaleuca's sales flattened in 1998, and VanderSloot "discovered that some senior directors were living off their residuals and doing little in the way of recruitment.

"[2] The company has large international operations, and 25 percent of its revenue comes from Taiwan, Korea, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.

[60] Between 1991 and 1997, Melaleuca was investigated by Michigan regulators, the Idaho attorney general's office, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for various marketing violations.

[61] In 1992, Melaleuca signed a consent decree with the states of Michigan and Idaho agreeing to "not engage in the marketing and promotion of an illegal pyramid.

[71][72][73] The Ranch runs a genetics and breeding program[70] and hosted the world's largest Angus bull sale in March 2012.

[4] According to Riverbend Ranch general manager David Brown, VanderSloot established its mission as "providing ranchers in the Intermountain West with the best genetics at an affordable price.

[80][81] Riverbend Communications operates KLCE Classy 97, KCVI Kbear 101, KTHK 105.5 The Hawk, KFTZ Z103, KEII News-Talk AM 690 – 1260, and KNBL AM 1260.

[6] In 1994, VanderSloot was approached by two dairy farmers with a plea to invest in the Snake River Cheese factory in Blackfoot, Idaho, after Kraft Foods had announced a decision to close it.

[83] In response, VanderSloot bought a $1 million interest in the plant, and an investment company assumed control, but the operation closed anyway within six months.

VanderSloot then paid off a $2 million debt the company owed to the dairymen, staffed the plant with his own personnel and supplemented the milking herd with two thousand head of cattle.

[95] In 2013, VanderSloot was listed by Business Insider as the wealthiest individual in the state of Idaho, with an estimated net worth of $1.2 billion.

[11][12][100][101] In 2012, VanderSloot's companies contributed $1.1 million to the Restore Our Future political action committee, which was supporting Romney for President.

[115][116][117][118][119][120][121][122][123] Three op-eds published by the Wall Street Journal criticized the campaign's treatment of VanderSloot and other top Romney donors.

[108][124][125] The critiques, two of which were authored by Wall Street Journal contributor Kimberley Strassel, were disputed by television host Rachel Maddow,[126] Lewiston Morning Tribune editor Marty Trillhaase,[127] and David Shere of Media Matters for America[128] but were supported by the editorial page of National Review[129] and Henry Reske of Newsmax.

[133] In June 2015, VanderSloot and his wife gave $50,000 to a political action committee (Conservative Solutions PAC) funding Florida senator Marco Rubio's campaign as the Republican Party nominee for the 2016 presidential election.

VanderSloot also contributed $2,700, the maximum allowed by law, to the GOP presidential campaign of former technology executive Carly Fiorina.

[137] Following the presidential election in November 2016, VanderSloot announced on Twitter that Trump was not his first, second, or third choice as a candidate but that it was "time for all of us to come together and unite behind our new president.

[143] VanderSloot spent $1.3 million in 2012 to sponsor television commercials and other advertising in favor of Propositions 1, 2, and 3, ballot referendums supporting education changes introduced and championed by Idaho public school supervisor Tom Luna in 2011.

The three-part educational package, consisting of an eight-year $180 million program limiting teachers' collective bargaining rights, requiring online classes and mandating laptops for ninth-graders, was approved by the Idaho Legislature and was backed by Governor C.L.

VanderSloot spent more than $100,000 on independent advertising on three winning judicial campaigns, two for Idaho Supreme Court and one for district judge in Bonneville County.

[62][153][154][155] The PAC ran ads targeting incumbent Idaho Supreme Court Justice Cathy Silak during her 2000 re-election campaign against challenger Daniel T.

[156][157] In 2002, VanderSloot and Melaleuca contributed more than $50,000 opposing the election bid of Democrat Keith Roark, a former Blaine County prosecutor, for Idaho Attorney General.

[159] In 2006, VanderSloot and his wife, Belinda, donated nearly $16,000 through the PAC Citizens for Truth and Justice, and via direct payments for ads opposing the reelection of Idaho 7th District Court Judge James Herndon, a Democrat, in a three-way race against challengers Darren Simpson and DaLon Esplin.

[160] In 2010, VanderSloot funded two PACs that launched last-minute ads against Idaho 2nd District Judge John Bradbury, a Democrat, during his electoral run for state Supreme Court against Republican incumbent Justice Roger Burdick.

[184] On February 17, 2012, columnist Glenn Greenwald of Salon wrote that, over time, VanderSloot had threatened to bring what Greenwald termed "'patently frivolous' lawsuits against his political critics" and had made threats of "expensive defamation actions" against sources (including Forbes, Mother Jones magazine, and Salon) who had published critical views of his public statements regarding gay rights and Melaleuca's business practices; he had previously made similar demands of local political blogs in Idaho.

[200] In 2005, VanderSloot flew to Baton Rouge to deliver supplies to shelters after Hurricane Katrina and helped three displaced families with transportation issues.

[201] In 2007, VanderSloot's company Melaleuca received the Salvation Army Others Award for helping with relief efforts following Hurricane Katrina.

[203] Inaugurated in August 2013,[203] the charter school is modeled after the North Valley Academy in Gooding, Idaho, and bases its curriculum on the Core Knowledge Program established by E.D.