Alticor Is Hiring

By David Robison in Miscellaneous

The Michigan Governor's race has brought up the issue of Alticor laying off hundreds of jobs, while Dick DeVos was at the helm.

But, don't let that deceive you into thinking that Alticor is all staffed-up. Openings are plentiful, if you meet the qualifications for the job; from Human Resources to operating a skid loader. The jobs aren't just located in Ada, either. You may have the chance to work for Alticor in your very own state, or even abroad.

Here's one example:

Job title Legislative Affairs Specialist

Positions Available 1

Department Washington D.C. Office

Company Alticor - 800

Location/Worksite Washington DC

Type of employment Full time

Shift 1

Job description

Provides support to Alticor's Washington office, within the Legal Division, by performing complex secretarial and administrative tasks under minimal supervision and basic legislative and political research, document preparation and coordination and/or administration of complex matters under close to moderate supervision. This includes drafting of documents and correspondence, direct communication with Congressional Staffers, administration officials and others that interact with the Washington Office.

Minimum Education/Experience Requirements

Associate’s degree and 2-3 years experience on a Congressional staff or in an office dealing with Congress.

Other Requirements:

Computer and office equipment skills. Strong communication skills. Ability to work well with a variety of personnel. Knowledge of legislative terminology and procedures as well as office procedures. Some basic legislative research and writing skills, general business knowledge, basic knowledge of Congressional procedure and regulatory rule making.

Preferences

Bachelor’s degree in political science, economics or other public-policy related area plus 3-5 years of experience in a professional environment. Experience on a Congressional staff is highly desired.

I thought it would be beneficial to Alticor, and to loyal Quixtar Blog readers looking for a job to show you what's available. Dust off those resumes'.

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October 24, 2006

D. Robison, PR Guy / The Upset Gnome

By David Robison in

It was a party. A party like the other hundreds I had attended. Halle Berry was pestering me to co-star in her next movie; Danica Patrick was begging me to go for a ride in her car; and Rosie Perez had this idea that if she sat in my lap; I could make her talk without moving my lips.

I was about to take Danica up on her offer when I heard this annoying high-pitched voice say, "Hey Robison!" "Hey Robison!" "Down here, you yutz!"

I looked around, but I couldn't see anybody.

That's when I woke up. I was in my office. It was morning. I had once again slept at my desk. The monicker is Robison; I'm a PR guy.

I rubbed my eyes and reached for my "smokes". That's when I heard the voice again.

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October 13, 2006

DeVos Video Contest

By Truth in Quixtar

Looks like Dick DeVos is reaching out to the talented masses in the general population to come up with ads for his campaign. His campaign has said that they have decided to have a "Create Your Own DeVos for Governor Video Contest". An 80GB video Ipod is the prize that will be awarded to the one person who's ad gets selected. Of course there are rules and requirements in order to get your prize.

I found it a little funny that the DeVos campaign used this wording on their web page pitching the contest:

Dick DeVos knows Michigan is full of talented individuals and he wants to showcase your enthusiasm and ingenuity!

and then has this in the rules:

2. Eligibility: Residents of Michigan. Management, employees, contract employees, and families of Dick DeVos for Governor are prohibited from winning any prizes awarded by Dick DeVos for Governor.

But if you plan to get involved and do your own ad for the Governor hopeful, you had better get started quickly, the deadline according to the DeVos website is 11:59pm EST on 15 October.

Question for discussion:
What do you think is the reason DeVos for Governor came up with this idea? Is it purely just to get people involved, or is there something more?

UPDATE: The Devos for Governor website is now showing the winner and the runner-up campaign ads.

Again I love the disclaimer that is used:

"The content of these videos are the opinions of the entrants, and not necessarily the opinions of Dick DeVos for Governor."

Check them out and give your opinions.

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October 8, 2006

Interview with Loki Mulholland - "Believe" Director

By QBlog in Humor

A few weeks ago I had a brief phone conversation with Loki Mulholland about his film "Believe," a comedic multilevel marketing mockumentary. After we talked he agreed to do an interview with Quixtar BLOG where I tried to ask him questions that other interviewers hadn't already asked.

The photo is of Loki and "Believe" actor Danor Gerald.

QBlog: Let’s hear the elevator pitch for “Believe.”
Loki Mulholland: The first movie ever made about the bizarre world of multi-level marketing is an award-winning comedy that is both funny and insightful. The satirical mockumentary explores the MLM industry and the people who populate it.

Q: When do you expect the film to be available to the masses?
LM: Currently, “Believe” is on a twenty city promotional tour throughout the country. It’s theatrical release begins in Michigan on October 13th and then a second release will commence in the Mountain West region in February/March. We expect to release it on DVD in June of ’07. However, we’re getting a lot of requests to release in different places throughout the world and we plan to take it wherever there is demand. As well, the places we have taken it for our special free screenings are begging us to bring it back so….

Q: What type of research did you do for the film? Who did you talk to? What did you read? What websites did you visit?
LM: Experience is the best form of research. I was an Amway distributor for about 4 years (to appease my wife I tell her it was “undercover” research). I was pretty hardcore. Beyond myself, the two main resources I went to were Eric Schiebeler’s Merchant of Deception (www.merchantsofdeception.com) and Scott Larsen’s site, www.amquix.info.

Q: What impact (if any) do you think this film will have on the multilevel marketing industry and specifically Quixtar and Amway? Do you want it to have an impact?
LM: I don’t think the industry is going to come to a screeching halt but it will definitely be a wake-up call. As one MLM company owner told us, “The industry has a problem and they know it. This film is more accurate than you realize.” Amway obviously feels it is relevant because they, according to one reporter, are releasing commercials to boost their image for the first time in 20 years as a sort of preemptive strike against the movie.

I hope it has an impact. I hope it creates change in an industry that has gotten off track. I think the MLM Do Not Contact List (www.donotcontactlist.com) has an even greater potential for change. Think the Do Not Call registry for MLMs.

Q: Are you Jeremiah Loki Mulholland, the LDS Musician? If so, what happened with the music?
LM: I am that person. The music still lives on. I have four songs on the movie's soundtrack and I perform three of them. I haven’t performed as much as I use to as the movie has consumed the majority of my time. Music is a hard industry to break into and so I figured if I was making movies I might as well use some of my music in them to help expand my audience base. I’m currently working on a new album but I have to get the release of “Believe” behind me first.

Q: You were in Amway. What group were you in, who was your upline Diamond and how did your experience with those people inspire the movie “Believe?”
LM: I was in World Wide Dream Builders. My upline Diamond was David and Debbie Shores. What really inspired the movie were the meetings we’d go to, especially the big over-the-top conventions.

Q: If you ran Amway/Quixtar what would you change first?
LM: I would probably burn the place to the ground and collect on the insurance. If that wasn’t an option then the first thing I would do is apologize to the millions of people who thought they had a real chance to do something in multi-level marketing. Next, I would get rid of the tool system that seems to have a stranglehold on Amway/Quixtar.

Q: Why do you think that nobody has done a film about MLM before?
LM: In all honesty, I really don’t know why. There’s a huge market place for the film. We’re getting requests from literally around the world to screen our movie: India, Asia, Australia, Europe, etc. I think the biggest challenge has been trying to find a way to approach this subject matter in such a way that would be both entertaining and educational. You have to walk a fine line and, really, without having gone through it myself, it would have been impossible to give an honest portrayal of the industry.

Q: What’s the last movie you saw and what did you think of it?
LM: "Pirates of the Caribbean 2". I didn’t like it as much as the first one. It felt like they went overboard with Jonny Depp's character. It’s like the recognized how well it worked the first time so they decided more would be better and so it lost it’s spontaneity and such. The whole island of cannibals sequence could’ve been left on the cutting room floor and the movie wouldn’t have suffered a bit. I am looking forward to the third one because even though it wasn’t as good as I would have hoped it would be it is still far better than most of the stuff that is out there today. The best movie I have seen in a long time is “Nanny McPhee”. I think I enjoyed it even more than my wife and kids.

Q: What’s the last book you read and did you like it?
LM: I’m currently reading “Children of the Arbat”. It’s a story about a group of kids who grew up on Arbat street in Moscow during the late 1930s and early 1940s. I lived in Russia and the history of country, particularly during that period, fascinates me. I majored in Documentary Cinema along with Russian History and Language when I was in college. My dream is to some day make a movie in Russia (in Russian).

Q: What are the ten most played songs on your iPod?
LM: My wife uses it more than I do so I don’t know at this point. However, I swiped it for the tour and Ray Charles has gotten some heavy rotation along with a assortment of other artist from Mellencamp to Mozart. I usually just put in on random and whatever comes up is what we hear. So often times the music goes from Neil Young to Michael Jackson to Snap! to some Mary Poppins tune to me to…. The rule is, whatever is playing is what you listen to. No changing it.

Q: Your website asks for MLM “horror stories.” What are some of the worst that have been submitted?
LM: We’re getting a lot of them and each one has its unique qualities. I think the most horrific is the guy whose mother’s brother passed away from cancer and her neighbor tells her she had the miracle cure and if she would have told her, her brother would still be alive and she would’ve even made money on the deal. But there are also those where people lose tens of thousands of dollars, their spouses, etc. Everyone has a story to tell.

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October 3, 2006

Granholm, DeVos Debate in Michigan

By QBlog in Quixtar

I don't live in Michigan so I honestly don't care who gets voted in as the next governor. As they say, I have no dog in this fight. However, since this blog is primarily about Quixtar and Dick DeVos once ran Amway (which later became Quixtar in North America), I'm posting an update on the gubernatorial debates tonight.

The AP reports that the candidates spent the debate "criticizing each other's ads, laying out what needs to be done to spur the economy and saying they would be the best leader for the state."

I didn't watch the debate so I have no opinion on how each candidate performed but bloggers seem to believe the Granholm decidedly defeated Dick DeVos.