Public records show it's owned by an entity connected to members of the billionaire Michigan-based DeVos family, whose patriarch, Richard DeVos, is a co-founder of Amway. "By casting off the practice of forced unionization; Michigan now publicly declares to other states and in fact the world, that we embrace freedom for our workers, true equality in the workplace and that we are ready to compete with anyone, anywhere to create economic opportunity for our Michigan families." DeVos began working with Amway Corporation in 1974, holding positions in various divisions, including research and development, manufacturing, marketing, sales, and finance. [31] The Richard and Helen DeVos Foundation was in part responsible for funding the creation of the Sport Business Management Program at the University of Central Florida.[32]. [108], DeVos pushed for schools to re-open while coronavirus cases were still surging in large parts of the country. This was the first time in U.S. history that a Cabinet nominee's confirmation was decided by the vice president's tiebreaking vote.[19][20][21]. [17], DeVos is chairwoman of the Windquest Group, a privately held operating group that invests in technology, manufacturing, and clean energy. Their slice of the familys portfolio of commercial real estate, private equity investments, mansions and yachts makes up the rest of the education secretarys net worth. Now Forbes has zeroed in on the root of the DeVos family fortune, Amway, to come up with what we believe is the most realistic estimate of the size of her fortune published so far. In 1949, they formed a business called Ja-Ri, naming it after their initials, which they turned into a dealership for Nutrilite Products, after attending a company seminar on direct sales success, in Chicago. (After a multiyear investigation in the 1970s, the Federal Trade Commission ruled Amway is not a pyramid scheme.). He was educated at Calvin College and is a member of the Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity. Guest answered yes, calling DeVos "a business and political specialist experienced far beyond his 35 years on this globe" and noting that he had "recently attracted more than a million votes, more than any other Republican on a statewide basis, to win a seat on Michigan's Board of Education." [146] Organizations funded by the foundation include: Michigan's Foundation for Traditional Values; Center for Individual Rights; Acton Institute; Institute for Justice; Center for Individual Rights; Michigan's Pregnancy Resource Center; Right to Life Michigan Educational Fund; and Baptists for Life. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. [29] With a commitment of $100 million, Betsy DeVos's family was one of the largest investorsand losersin blood-testing company Theranos. Job cuts were one of several cut backs made during the corporate restructuring of Amway in order to expedite the return to profitability and prevent further downsizing or the possible loss of the company. The son of Amway co-founder Richard DeVos, he served as CEO of the multi-level marketing company from 1993 to 2002. At Amway, DeVos relied on the success of independent distributors to sell his companys products in an arrangement that critics have likened to a pyramid scheme: You become an Amway distributor, buy products from Amway, sell them at a markup to customers, keep the difference, and get distributors under you to do the same and kick you back a piece of the action. Family tree . [103], On April 11, 2017, DeVos undid several Obama administration policy memos issued by John King Jr. and Ted Mitchell which were designed to protect student loan borrowers. Also Known As: Richard Marvin DeVos Sr. Died At Age: 92 Family: Spouse/Ex-: Helen Van Wesep (m. 1953) father: Simon Cornelius DeVos mother: Ethel Ruth DeVos children: Cheri, Dan, Dick, Doug Born Country: United States Billionaires CEOs Died on: September 6, 2018 place of death: Ada Township, Michigan, United States Notable Alumni: Calvin University He also owned three International Hockey League (IHL) franchises: Kansas City Blades, Orlando Solar Bears and Grand Rapids Griffins, till the league dissolved in 2001, and two of the team shut down. "[22], In an interview given during the campaign, DeVos said: "It's all about jobs. He was 92. The families split ownership 50/50, according to a spokesperson of the DeVos family. "Now I simply concede the point. [194][195][196], Betsy DeVos's brother, Erik Prince, a former U.S. Navy SEAL officer, is the founder of Blackwater USA, a private military services contractor.[23][197][198]. Follow this author to stay notified about their latest stories. DeVos and his brother, Doug DeVos, are "credited with taking the company global, and setting industry standards as they moved into those markets."[7]. DeVos and his wife have four children: Richard Marvin (Rick) III, Elisabeth (Elissa), Andrea, and Ryan, and eight grandchildren. [76] More than 300 state lawmakers from across the U.S., overwhelmingly Democrats, voiced their opposition to DeVos's appointment in a letter to the U.S. Senate sent the day before a scheduled vote on her nomination. In 1982, during a recession in the middle of Reagans first term, DeVos, always one to speak his mind, told an assembled group of Republican bigwigs that this recession has been a beneficial thing and a cleansing thing for society. As the RNC attempted to court support from organized labor, their efforts were undercut by their own finance chair, who called unions a negative wind and said that they had no place in the Republican Party: If they want to be represented by somebody else, good for them.. Born In: Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States, place of death: Ada Township, Michigan, United States, See the events in life of Richard M. DeVos in Chronological Order. [3], Since 1982, DeVos has participated in the Michigan Republican Party. Richard Marvin DeVos Sr.[1] (March 4, 1926 September 6, 2018) was an American billionaire businessman, co-founder of Amway with Jay Van Andel (company restructured as Alticor in 2000), and owner of the Orlando Magic basketball team. would not be surprised if there are also those that would try to subvert the mission of this organization and this department," she stated. [172][173], Her other activities on behalf of public-school reform have included membership on the boards of directors of the Advocates for School Choice, the American Education Reform Council, and the Education Freedom Fund. The study would "use DNA fingerprinting technology pioneered recently at Michigan State University to identify specific sources of E. coli in different areas of the lake. [77] DeVos's nomination was supported by 18 Republican governors, including John Kasich and Rick Snyder, along with the nine Republican members of Congress from Michigan. ADA, Mich. -- Billionaire Richard DeVos, whose family bought the Orlando Magic in 1991, has died. That stake has made the DeVoses unbelievably rich. While Granholm argued that jobs had been moved to China and India, DeVos pointed out that "Michigan jobs havegone to Ohio, Indiana, and other states with less punitive tax policies, and this governor fails to recognize that. [18] On February 7, 2017, she was confirmed by the Senate by a 5150 margin, with Vice President Mike Pence breaking the tie in favor of her nomination. He believed in having strong family roots and would make every effort to spend enough time with his children, grandchildren and eventually with his great grandchildren. Richard M. DeVos, the Amway Corporation co-founder who built and used one of the 20th century's great personal fortunes to bolster the Republican Party, restore civic vitality to . They continued to run the dealership and by 1958, the duo had managed to build a network of more than five thousand distributors. "If the lawmakers later found themselves facing recalls or tough re-election fights, Mr. DeVos told them, he would be there to help. President Ronald Reagan made DeVos finance chair of the Republican National Committee. "[22] Her resignation took effect on January 8, 2021, twelve days before her term would have ended with the inauguration of Joe Biden as president. [143] In 2015, the DeVos Foundation made $11.6million in charitable contributions, bringing the couple's lifetime charitable giving to $139million. After that defeat, the DeVos family helped form the Michigan Freedom Fund to promote a right-to-work law. Bray's conclusion was that "the DeVos ads are striking home with their message: that the Michigan economy is in a shambles, that Granholm has failed to develop a strategy to resurrect the state and that a hard-nosed businessman who owes nothing to anybody is just the guy to sort things out. "[17] DeVos's nomination was generally criticized by teachers unions and praised by supporters of school choice. Throughout his life, DeVos maintained that what Amway offered was not the guarantee of a quick buck, but an opportunity to realize the American dream through hard work. [5] Donations [ edit] [179], Ramesh Ponnuru of National Review argued that Harris overstates the failure of charter schools in Detroit. He helped his distributors along the way with guidelines and best practices, but he mostly saw himself as a cheerleader for people to realize their own capabilities and to expand their ideas of what is possible, all while undergirded by specific political and spiritual ideas he saw as fundamental to the American way.. [146][147][148] Of the $100million the foundation donated between 1999 until 2014, half of it went to Christian organizations. [185], DeVos has been played by Kate McKinnon on Saturday Night Live multiple times, including satirizing DeVos's 60 Minutes interview in March 2018. The Griffins are a part of American Hockey League now and are owned by Richards son Dan. DeVos provided examples of several charter schools that she said had 4-year graduation exceeding 90%. 3. "Whether it has been Granholm's campaign morphing images of DeVos into President Bush, or DeVos's ads including compromising footage of the governor's speeches, neither candidate has found a way to gain an advantage. Assuming they also own 25% of the familys second-largest asset, the Orlando Magic basketball team, thats another $300 million or so. In the fall of 2010, DeVos opened the West Michigan Aviation Academy,[35] the nation's first aviation public charter high school. Dan DeVos is a businessman in his own right, and he's most well known for his role as CEO of DP Fox. He was 92. Daughter-in-law Betsy DeVos chaired the Michigan Republican Party and now heads the Alliance for School Choice. Industrialist, Businessman. [38], DeVos personally raised more than $150,000 for the 2004 Bush re-election campaign,[39] and hosted a Republican fundraiser at her home in October 2008 that was headlined by President George W. And sometimes, DeVos tried to sell ideas that people werent interested in buying. Richard M. DeVos. [92] Botel, a registered Democrat who supported President Obama and the Black Lives Matter movement, founded the KIPP Ujima Village Academy in Baltimore, after working for Teach For America. According to a CBS reporter, DeVos's loss was widely attributed to his performance in his first televised debate with Granholm. The use of public money was controversial. He was an honorary trustee of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation. They donated the award money to Michigans local organizations that were working towards helping people. [123], DeVos has been a controversial figure throughout her tenure. [153][154], DeVos has served as chairperson, board member, and treasurer of the Acton Institute and headed the All Children Matter PAC. Taxes like the SBT and Michigan's personal property tax hurt manufacturers more than any other tax. We are the only state that has not moved to positive ground when it comes to actual numbers of jobs in the marketplace," he said. 24 on its 2015 list of America's top givers. [51][54][55] In November 2019, Truth In Advertising filed complaints[56] against Neurocore with the Food and Drug Administration for unapproved medical devices[57] and the Federal Trade Commission for deceptive marketing. [35][36] In 2004, the Lansing State Journal described DeVos as "a political pit bull for most of (Democratic) Governor [Jennifer] Granholm's 16 months in office," and said that if DeVos was not Granholm's "worst nightmare," she was "certainly her most persistent". She is the daughter of billionaire industrialist Edgar Prince, and sister of Blackwater USA founder Erik Prince.[11][12]. Granholm was quoted as saying she "admired his tenacity and his passion for Michigan". Helen DeVos was born in the year 1925 as Helen J. While she was on the board, she and her husband funded a center to teach arts managers and boards of directors how to fundraise and manage their cultural institutions. It offers "practical training to arts managers and board members on stages of professional development in the United States and around the world"; its centerpiece is the "Capacity Building programs, which offer technical assistance to arts managers and their boards through seminars, web chats, and on-site consultations." For DeVos, the American way meant a country that embraced the free-enterprise system, exalted God and held true to conservative Christian principles (This country was built on a religious heritage, he wrote in Believe!, and wed better get back to it.). Get the best business coverage in Chicago, from breaking news to razor-sharp analysis, in print and online. That share is worth an estimated $1.3 billion. An error has occured while loading the map. Richard DeVos was listed by Forbes in 2016 as having a net worth of $5.1billion, making him America's 88th wealthiest individual. [93], In October 2018, it was announced that DeVos's chief of staff, Josh Venable, would be replaced by Nate Bailey, who at that time was DeVos's chief of communications. Suzanne, also known as Cheri is the only daughter of Richard DeVos. Richard M. DeVos married Helen Van Wesep on 7 February 1953 and the couple had four children; three sons Richard Jr. or Dick DeVos, born in 1955, Dan DeVos born in 1959 and Doug DeVos born in 1964, and a daughter Suzanne Cheri DeVos. Username and password are case sensitive. 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