Dick DeVos
Richard "Dick" DeVos, Jr. is a businessman and conservative Republican politician from Michigan. The son of billionaire Amway founder Richard DeVos, he is currently a candidate for governor of Michigan.
Family and early life
Dick is a graduate of the Forest Hills public schools and went on to receive a bachelor's degree in business administration from Northwood University. He later went on to attend, but never earned a degree from, both the Harvard Business School and the Wharton School's Executive Study Programs.
His wife, Betsy DeVos, is the former chairman of the Michigan Republican Party. Betsy and Dick have four children: Rick, Elissa, Andrea, and Ryan. Rick graduated from Calvin College, while Elissa is an undergraduate at Princeton University. Andrea and Ryan are in secondary school. The family currently resides in Ada, Michigan, near the west Michigan city of Grand Rapids. [1]
Business activities
DeVos began working with Amway Corporation in 1974, holding positions in various divisions, including research and development, manufacturing, marketing, sales, and finance. In 1984, he became Amway's vice president - international, with responsibility for the company's operations in 18 countries. Under his leadership, the company opened new markets and tripled international sales to exceed domestic sales for the first time in company history.
In 1989, DeVos left Amway to start a new business venture, The Windquest Group, a multi-company management group involved in the manufacture and marketing of storage and closet organizers. When the DeVos family acquired the NBA's Orlando Magic basketball franchise in 1991, DeVos became president and CEO of the team. He left both positions in January 1993 to rejoin Amway as its president, succeeding his father, Amway co-founder Rich DeVos.
In 2000, DeVos oversaw a corporate restructuring that created Alticor, the new parent company of predecessor Amway, as well as subsidiary companies Access Business Group, and Quixtar. Under DeVos, Alticor expanded operations to more than 50 countries and territories on six continents. Over 1,300 Michigan workers were put out of work during this restructuring. Although sanctioned in a 1979 ruling, Amway has been investigated and cleared by the Federal Trade Commission for suspicion of pyramid scheme violations.
DeVos retired as president of Alticor in August 2002, and in that fiscal year, Alticor reported sales of $4.5 billion, primarily through its more than 3.5 million mostly part-time sales force and its complimentary e-commerce channel. After retiring from Alticor, DeVos returned to become president of The Windquest Group.
DeVos currently sits on the board of directors of the Education Freedom Fund which provides money for families to send children to private schools. He is the author of the 1998 book Rediscovering American Values.
Current Posts and Present Board Memberships
- President, The Windquest Group, 2002-present
- Chairman, Board of Directors, World Federation of Direct Selling Associations, 2002-present (Board Member since 2000)
- Governing Board, Orlando Magic, 1994-present
- Member, Board of Trustees, Thunderbird, The Gavin School of International Management, 2003-present
- Member, Board of Directors, Willow Creek Association, 1997-present
- Member, Michigan Business Roundtable, 1997-present (Co-Chairman, 1997; Chairman, 1998)
- Member, Board of Trustees, Blodgett/Butterworth Health Care Foundation; 1994-present (Board Member since 1990)
- Co-Chairman, Grand Action Committee, 1992-present (Chairman, Grand Vision Committee, 1991-1992)
- Member, Board of Directors, Education Freedom Fund, 2005-present (Chairman, 1994-2005)
Political activities prior to 2006
In 1990, DeVos won election to the Michigan State Board of Education, resigning after only two years of an eight-year term, following a series of missed meetings.[2] In 1996, DeVos was appointed by John Engler to the Grand Valley State University Board of Control. He also resigned from this post before his term was up.
In 2000, DeVos was the co-chairman of the "Kids First! Yes!" campaign committee, which sponsored a ballot-initiative that would have amended the Michigan constitution to allow vouchers and tuition tax credits for private K-12 education. The initiative was rejected, with 69% of voters disapproving. [3]
2006 gubernatorial candidacy
On June 2, 2005, at Mackinac Island, DeVos announced he was a candidate for governor of Michigan. He is considered to be the richest man to run for statewide office [4] in Michigan history.
Since announcing his candidacy, he has been to all 83 Michigan counties, and started a week-long statewide bus tour on May 1, 2006.
The campaign has so far focused on the economy, as Michigan has had one of the highest unemployment rates in the country, largely attributed to a decline in the domestic automotive industry.
DeVos has spent at least $10 million in campaign ads.[5]
As of August 9, 2006, Dick DeVos recived better resulting in the pools than Jennifer Granholm in the primaries. The total votes were 579,223 for DeVos and 530,243 for Granholm. (http://miboecfr.nictusa.com/election/results/06PRI/02000000.html]