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 current resides in Ada, Michigan, near the west Michigan city of Grand Rapids. ^*

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 space utilization products. When the DeVos family acquired the NBA's Orlando Magic basketball franchise in 1991, DeVos also 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. 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, which he had founded in 1989.

DeVos currently sits on the board of directors of many orgainizations, including the Education Freedom Fund, where he was one of the founders. He is also the author of the New York Times best seller 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. 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 remove the ban against vouchers and tuition tax credits for private K-12 education. The initiative was rejected, with 69% of voters disapproving. ^*

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 ^* 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 worst unemployment rates in the country.

Lieutenant governor prospects

Some Republican insiders consider Hoogendyk, Cassis, and Michigan House of Representatives Speaker Craig DeRoche the top choices for lieutenant governor for DeVos. Cassis and DeRoche both come from the voter rich and economically wealthy Oakland County. As speaker of the house, DeRoche already has a name recognized throughout the state. Other names include current Republican U.S. Senate candidates Michael Bouchard, Keith Butler and Jerry Zandstra.

External links

Year of birth missing | Living people | People from Michigan | Amway people