In 1991, plans were circulated for a multi-purpose sports and convention arena to be built in Grand Rapids. Dick DeVos, who was working for his family business called Amway Corp. at the time, feared that the new arena would be damaging for Grand Rapids and began to lobby agains the plans.
DeVos compared the construction of the new arena to that of the Pontiac Silverdome and the Palace of Auburn Hills. In the 1970s, when the Pistons left, these arenas were very detrimental to the city of Detroit.
Dick’s opposition the the construction of this arena was the driving force behind the creation of a group called Grand Action. Grand Action was led by a group of successful businessmen and ultimately lead to the construction of several major buildings in Grand Rapids, including DeVos Place, Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids City Market, DeVos Performance Hall, and the medical school at Michigan State University. Each of these buildings played a huge role in changing the course of the Grand Rapids area.
Both Dick and his wife Betsy came from wealthy families. As adults, they’ve both spent a lot of time and energy working to make changes to state laws and policies, particularly those concerning education and labor.
Betsy championed for the expansion of charter schools and Dick fought to develop laws that would ensure Michigan converted into a right-to-work state and no longer required union membership as a requirement for employment.
But the DeVos family is also passionate about giving back. From 1989 to 2015, they reportedly contributed $138.7 million to arts and culture, health, leadership programs, education reform, churches, and other human services.
They also played a huge role in making construction of Spectrum Health System’s children’s hospital in 2006 to ensure that parents of children in need of treatment did not have to drive long distances to receive top notch care.
While they’ve often worked on different projects, Betsy says that they both have the same goal in mind and are continuously working to ensure that children from lower income families have the same opportunities as others.
Although their influence can be powerful, they haven’t always been successful in swaying public opinion.
In 2006, Dick lost his run for Governor and six years prior, in 2006, their proposed amendment to create vouchers that were tax-funded for the purpose of allowing children to attend private schools was shot down by voters.
While things may have been challenging at first, they did not give up and continued to push for private school vouchers in other states. Currently, twenty-four states as well as the District of Columbia have a voucher for private schools. This voucher system ultimately earned Betsy the title of U.S. Secretary of Education.