Dick DeVos

Dick DeVos is a proven leader who possesses these qualities which will help get Michigan back on track.Dick is a lifelong Michigan resident who knows how to get the job done. For ten years he led Alticor, the family business his father started out of their basement when he was a child. Dick moved the company through change and led it to unprecedented growth.He started at Amway, the predecessor to Alticor, in 1974. Over time he moved from mowing lawns and working the manufacturing line to strategic leadership positions. In 1984 he became the head of international operations for the company, which gave him vital experience in the global marketplace that Michigan needs to thrive in todays challenging economy.Dicks knowledge of manufacturing is not limited to large companies. The small manufacturing business he and his wife Betsy operate in Holland makes closet and garage organizers you can buy locally. With thirty-one years of solid business experience, Dick knows how to make manufacturing work in Michigan.Dick was born and raised in Michigan and chose to raise his family here, as well. Betsy and their four children, Rick, Elissa, Andrea, and Ryan, give his life purpose and are the inspiration for everything he does.Dick realizes that it is getting harder for Michiganians to raise their families here like he did. A state that loses jobs, rather than creates them, doesnt give many families a choice when trying to make their homes and build their futures. Even worse, many Michigan citizens spend years building a family, only to see their children have to move out of the state when they become adults because our state isnt creating the jobs that would allow them to stay here.Dick has lived the American dream. He has proven experience as a manufacturer and business leader creating the jobs that will help all Michigan citizens to raise their families here.Dick knows that preserving the American dream for all Michigan citizens requires a commitment to turning around our state administration in Lansing. Thats why Dick is running to be our Governor. His business and leadership experience, commitment to public service and recognition of the importance of family will provide him with the tools to succeed in the Governors office.Dick is the oldest of four children of Rich and Helen DeVos. He and Betsy live in Ada, where they raised all four of their children. Dick is a graduate of Forest Hills Public Schools and received a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Northwood University in Midland, Michigan, and he has attended both Harvard Business Schools and the Wharton Schools Executive Study Programs.