Richard DeVos
| Richard DeVos, Sr. | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 4, 1926 Grand Rapids, MI, USA |
| Nationality | Dutch-American |
| Known for | Amway founder, owner of NBA's Orlando Magic |
| Net worth |  US$4.2 billion (2011)[1] |
| Religion | Christian Reformed Church in North America |
| Spouse | Helen DeVos |
| Children | Dick DeVos, Dan DeVos, Cheri DeVos-Vanderweide, Doug DeVos |
Richard DeVos, Sr. (born March 4, 1926, Grand Rapids, Michigan) is an American businessman, co-founder of Amway along with Jay Van Andel (company restructured as Alticor in 2000), and owner of the Orlando Magic NBA basketball team. In 2011, Forbes magazine listed him as the 79th wealthiest person in the United States, and the 254th richest in the world, with an estimated net worth of USD$ 4.2 billion.[2] (At one point, he was in the top 10 of wealthiest Americans).
DeVos was educated at Calvin College and is a member of the Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity. He served in the military in World War II in the United States Army Air Corps.[3]
Contents |
[edit] Books
Books written by him include Compassionate Capitalism and Hope From My Heart: Ten Lessons For Life. The latter reflects his feelings after successfully undergoing a heart transplant operation in 1997. This was preceded by two heart-bypass operations in 1983 and 1992.[4] In 1975, DeVos published a book about his success, co-authored with Charles Paul Conn, titled Believe!.
[edit] Sports ownership
Richard DeVos is the owner of the National Basketball Association's franchise basketball team, the Orlando Magic, having bought the team in 1991.[5] DeVos also formerly owned the Orlando Solar Bears, Grand Rapids Griffins, and the Kansas City Blades, three IHL franchises before that league folded; the Solar Bears & Blades were closed as a result of the league folding, while the Griffins moved to the AHL, and are now under the ownership of Dan DeVos, one of Richard's sons. However, in 2011, it was announced that DeVos plans to revive the Solar Bears as an expansion franchise for the ECHL. The new franchise will take the ice in October of 2012.
Despite being an anti-tax Republican, DeVos saw fit to ask Orange County, FL to foot the bill for the Orlando Magic's new arena using tax dollars. Even though tax dollars largely funded this arena, it was still named the Amway Arena. This was especially controversial since DeVos could have easily paid for the arena out-of-pocket.[6]
[edit] Boards
He sat on the board of trustees of Northwood University and has sat as president on the Council for National Policy. He currently serves on the Board of Trustees of the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, which is a museum dedicated to the U.S. Constitution.[7]
[edit] Personal
In addition to Dan (owner of the Griffins), Richard DeVos is the father of Richard Jr., Cheri, and Doug. Richard Jr. was the Republican Party nominee for governor of Michigan in 2006, but was defeated by the then incumbent governor, Jennifer Granholm.[8]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Forbes profile page on Richard DeVos Forbes.com. Accessed April 2011.
- ^ Forbes magazine profile of Richard DeVos Forbes.com. Accessed April 2010.
- ^ The Possible Dream, by Charles Paul Conn, page 6
- ^ Levin, Doron (October 8, 1997). "Fate, patience bring DeVos a new heart: Amway cofounder back after journey for life". Detroit Free Press.
- ^ "Orlando Team Sold". New York Times. New York Times Company. 1991-09-20. http://www.nytimes.com/1991/09/20/sports/nba-orlando-team-sold.html. Retrieved 2010-07-27.
- ^ "Nothing but the best for new arena: Look what your taxes helped buy". Orlando Sentinel. http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2010-03-13/news/os-magic-arena-furnishings-20100313_1_new-arena-magic-executives-amway-arena. Retrieved 13 March 2010.
- ^ "National Constitution Center, Board of Trustees". National Constitution Center Web Site. National Constitution Center. 2010-07-26. Archived from the original on 2010-07-26. http://www.webcitation.org/5rWT81EKj. Retrieved 2010-07-27.
- ^ "2006 Official Michigan General Election Results – Governor 4 Year Term (1) Position". Miboecfr.nictusa.com. http://miboecfr.nictusa.com/election/results/06GEN/02000000.html. Retrieved 2010-01-26.
[edit] External links
- Profile at Forbes
- Appearances on C-SPAN
- Richard DeVos at the Notable Names Database
- Works by or about Richard DeVos in libraries (WorldCat catalog)
- Richard DeVos' campaign contributions at Newsmeat
- 1926 births
- Living people
- American businesspeople
- American billionaires
- Amway people
- Calvin College alumni
- American people of Dutch descent
- National Basketball Association executives
- National Basketball Association owners
- Orlando Magic
- Orlando Miracle
- People from Grand Rapids, Michigan
- Women's National Basketball Association executives
- Organ transplant recipients
- American members of the Christian Reformed Church in North America
- American writers
- United States Army Air Forces soldiers
- American military personnel of World War II
- People associated with direct selling
