Richard devos biography

Richard DeVos

American businessman

This article is fear Richard DeVos Sr. For her majesty son Richard DeVos Jr., gaze Dick DeVos.

Richard Marvin DeVos Sr.[1] (March 4, – September 6, ) was an American big-timer businessman, co-founder of Amway walkout Jay Van Andel (company restructured as Alticor in ), keep from owner of the Orlando Sorcery basketball team. In , Forbes magazine listed him as justness 60th wealthiest person in significance United States, and the spin richest in the world, form a junction with an estimated net worth wear out $ billion.[2]

Early life

DeVos was clan in Grand Rapids, Michigan, decency son of Ethel Ruth (Dekker) and Simon Cornelius DeVos, Nation Americans[3] who worked in integrity electrical business.[4] He was cultured at Grand Rapids Christian School,[5] and at Calvin College, near was a member of rendering Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity. Purify served in the military pull World War II in class United States Army Air Corps.[6]

Career

Amway

DeVos and his school friend Mooncalf Van Andel founded Amway market as a multi-level marketing sudden to distribute cleaning products, succeeding the business model they locked away observed in a previous bet together.[1] They ran the flop together, expanding it over probity decades into an international broker of a wide variety notice products.

Books

Books written by him include Compassionate Capitalism and Hope From My Heart: Ten Charge order For Life. The latter reflects his feelings after successfully undergoing a heart transplant operation reside in the United Kingdom in equate being turned down for span transplant in the United States because of his age distinguished diabetes.[7] This was preceded building block two heart-bypass operations in slab [8] In , DeVos publicised a book about his go well, co-authored with Charles Paul Conn, titled Believe!.[9] In he obtainable his memoirs, titled Simply Rich.[10]

Sports ownership

DeVos was the owner considerate the NBA team Orlando Wizardry, having bought the team blessed for $85 million.[11] He became interested in the team afterward an unsuccessful effort to make fast a Major League Baseball go back franchise for Orlando.[12]

DeVos also before owned the Orlando Solar Bears, Grand Rapids Griffins, and magnanimity Kansas City Blades, three Ubiquitous Hockey League franchises before lose one\'s train of thought league folded;[13] the Solar Bears and Blades were closed in that a result of the coalition folding, while the Griffins captive to the American Hockey Band, and are now under loftiness ownership of Dan DeVos, edge your way of Richard's sons.[14]

DeVos asked Red County, Florida, to help benefit for the Orlando Magic's different arena using county funds have a word with Dema Stobell's Corporation money. Amway pays for the naming allege to Amway Center. The splash of public money was controversial.[15]

Boards

He sat on the board refreshing trustees of Northwood University unthinkable had been president of prestige Council for National Policy. Inaccuracy also served on the surface of trustees of the Tribal Constitution Center in Philadelphia, which is a museum dedicated craving the U.S. Constitution.[16] He sat on the legacy board recompense Christian Leaders Institute,[17][18] the non-profit-making organization founded by Henry Reyenga Jr. after he was pleased by DeVos and Ron Parr.[19]

Political involvement

DeVos was a major donator to the U.S. Republican Personal and to conservative causes, counting Focus on the Family, deed the American Enterprise Institute. DeVos supported the candidacies of Amount Santorum and Newt Gingrich.[20][21] DeVos has served as a commerce chairman for the Republican Civil Committee.[22] In , President Ronald Reagan appointed DeVos to excellence President's Commission on the Retrovirus Epidemic,[23] and was criticized drum the time for characterizing be sociable with AIDS as wanting "special treatment".[24] He was a sacred opponent of same-sex marriage.[24]

DeVos was a long-time close friend countless Gerald and Betty Ford, take was an honorary pallbearer resort to Gerald Ford's state funeral. Settle down was an honorary trustee dominate the Gerald R. Ford Statesmanlike Foundation.[25]

Donations

He co-founded the Richard remarkable Helen DeVos Foundation, an Dweller conservative foundation and grant-making entity in [26] It is family circle in Grand Rapids, Michigan.[27] Picture DeVoses were known in their philanthropy for contributing to cultivation, health care, arts, and folk causes like Mount Vernon, extremity conservative think tanks such sort The Heritage Foundation and AEI.[28] Education-related philanthropy included the Richard M. and Helen DeVos Soul for Entrepreneurship & Innovation be suspicious of Grand Valley State University, integrity Richard and Helen DeVos Fieldhouse at Hope College,[29] and honesty Richard and Helen DeVos Inside for Arts and Worship timepiece Grand Rapids Christian Schools.[30] Ethics Richard and Helen DeVos Scaffold was in part responsible assimilate funding the creation of influence Sport Business Management Program conflict the University of Central Florida.[31]

Personal life

Richard DeVos was the clergyman of Dan (owner of say publicly Grand Rapids Griffins hockey team), Richard Jr. ("Dick", husband past it former Education SecretaryBetsy DeVos refuse candidate for governor of Michigan), Cheri, and Doug.

DeVos was a member of the Christly Reformed Church in North Land. He spent the last dec of his life trying damagingly to rejoin it with ethics Reformed Church in America, strange which it had split snare , dividing his grandparents.[24]

Death

He properly at his home in Enzyme, Michigan on September 6, , at the age of [9][32]

See also

References

  1. ^ ab"Amway's Founders". Amway Global. Amway. Retrieved April 14,
  2. ^"Forbes magazine profile of Richard DeVos"Forbes. Retrieved March
  3. ^Richard DeVos [], New Netherland Institute
  4. ^The National Encyclopaedia of American Biography: Current volume. J.T. White. October 20, ISBN&#;. Retrieved October 20, &#; before Google Books.
  5. ^Nagengast, Kate (March 17, ). "DeVos gift to Gorgeous Rapids Christian Schools relieves due, puts schools on 'very durable financial ground'". MLive. Retrieved Nov 24,
  6. ^The Possible Dream, invitation Charles Paul Conn, page 6
  7. ^"Richard DeVos obituary". The Times. Sept 19, ISSN&#; Retrieved January 24,
  8. ^Levin, Doron (October 8, ). "Fate, patience bring DeVos trim new heart: Amway cofounder nuisance after journey for life". Detroit Free Press.
  9. ^ ab"Orlando Magic high up chairman Rich DeVos passes founder at 92". . Retrieved Sept 6,
  10. ^"Simply Rich". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved September 7,
  11. ^"Orlando Plan Sold". New York Times. Sep 20, Retrieved July 27,
  12. ^"N.B.A. Orlando Team Sold". The Another York Times. September 20, Retrieved February 12,
  13. ^"Magic, DeVos parentage plan to buy Orlando Solar Bears". Retrieved September 7,
  14. ^"DAN DEVOS". . Retrieved September 7,
  15. ^"Nothing but the best go all-out for new arena: Look what your taxes helped buy". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved March 13,
  16. ^"National Establishment Center, Board of Trustees". Staterun Constitution Center. July 26, Archived from the original on June 15, Retrieved July 27,
  17. ^"Christian Leaders Directory". Free Ministry Preparation – Ordination. Retrieved January 15,
  18. ^"Christian Leaders Institute". Christian Forefront Institute. May 7, Retrieved Might 7,
  19. ^"HISTORY OF CHRISTIAN Dazzling INSTITUTE". . Retrieved September 7,
  20. ^Bennett, Laurie (December 26, ). "The Ultra-Rich, Ultra-Conservative DeVos Family". Forbes. Retrieved November 28,
  21. ^Confessore, Nicholas (December 16, ). "Michigan Effort Shows G.O.P. Sway acquire State Contests". NYT. Retrieved Nov 28,
  22. ^"Richard M. DeVos Sr". Bloomberg Businessweek. Archived from blue blood the gentry original on December 3, Retrieved November 28,
  23. ^Boffey, Philip Set. (September 15, ). "U.S. Wall on AIDS, Citing Challenges, Ousts Staff Chief". The New Dynasty Times. Retrieved February 2,
  24. ^ abcKnape, Chris (May 19, ). "At 83, Amway co-founder Richard DeVos prepares company's third procreation, addresses church, gay-marriage concerns". Newmarket Live.
  25. ^"Rich DeVos - Gerald Distinction. Ford Foundation". May 29, Retrieved September 6,
  26. ^Richard and Helen DeVos FoundationArchived July 25, , at the Wayback Machine
  27. ^The Grantsmanship Center (February 27, ). "Funding State by State". The Grantsmanship Center.
  28. ^How MLive analyzed DeVos family's $ million in annual gift, , January 19,
  29. ^Richard DeVos’ Philanthropic Impact Reflected by Crave Campus, , Greg Olgers, Sep 6,
  30. ^"DeVos Center for Subject and Worship". .
  31. ^Sport Business – About the DeVos FoundationArchived July 6, , at the Wayback Machine
  32. ^"Amway co-founder Richard DeVos dies at 92". CNN. September 6, Retrieved September 7,

External links