Rockford Construction’s commitment to the principle of Profits Over People, got them the $12 Million contract to manage the redevelopment of Lyon Square

In August, GRIID post an article entitled, $12 Million to redevelop a small riverfront park in Grand Rapids is more money than the amount of money the City has set aside for their Affordable Housing Fund.

In that GRIID article from August 9, we wrote in part: 

However, the point I want to make is that compared to several years of putting together an $11.5 Million budget for Affordable Housing, the City of Grand Rapids approved $12 Million to redevelop a small downtown park with one simple vote. The $12 Million for Lyon Square will not be used for housing, but for a park space that will primarily benefit tourists and members of the Capitalist Class. 

Now imagine for a moment that the DeVos family would foot the bill for the Lyon Square project and the $12 Million that the City will now be borrowing, would instead go directly to affordable housing. Affordable Housing is a relative term, but let’s say that for a new modest home for a family of 4, it would cost $250,000. With $12 Million, the amount they will be spending on redeveloping a small park, that amount of money could cover the cost of building a $250,000 home for 48 families. 

Forward 5 weeks and we read in the Agenda Packet for the Community Development Committee for September 19 (pages 5 – 8), that Rockford Construction is being awarded $12 million dollars in a Professional Services Agreement for Construction Management services for Lyon Square. 

In the Agenda Packet of the Community Development Committee for September 19th, it states:

A Qualification Based Selection (QBS) process was used to solicit respondents and evaluate final procurement of a construction manager by an evaluation team consisting of City staff, Amway Hotel Corporation representatives, Downtown Grand Rapids, Inc. (DGRI) staff, and ASM Global representatives. The evaluation team selected Rockford Construction Co. (Rockford) as the highest qualified firm from a short-listed group of respondents. Subsequently, as part of the QBS process, a proposal was received and, on February 12, 2019 (Proceeding No. 88470), the City Commission approved preconstruction services for Rockford. Having completed those services, they are now prepared to move into the construction work based upon subcontractor bids received on August 10, 2023.

So, an evaluation team made up of City staff, Amway Hotel Corporation representatives, DGRI and ASM Global chose Rockford Construction to receive the initial funding in 2019. Now, GR City staff have always been partial to those with deep pockets, so no surprise that they would choose Rockford Construction. The Amway Hotel Corporation choosing Rockford Construction is a no-brainer, considering the longterm relationship/partnership that the DeVos family has had with Rockford Construction. The DGRI Board of Directors is primarily made up of representatives from entities that make up the Grand Rapids Power Structure, which also includes a staff member of Rockford Construction. ASM Global manages the Van Andel Arena and DeVos Place, which are under the control of the Grand Rapids-Kent County Convention/Arena Authority (CAA). The CAA is also represented by members of the Grand Rapids Power Structure, and includes Michael Verhulst with Acrisure Benefits, but he was the Vice President of Rockford Construction from 2017 – through April of 2022. 

Companies like Rockford Construction often are chosen because they are part of the inter-locking systems of power in this city. Besides the fact that Rockford Construction is part of the GR Power Structure, they also get these kinds of contracts because of their ideological commitments to Capitalism. This has been on full display in the past 9 months, since Rockford Construction has been front and center to the profits over people dynamic with how downtown Grand Rapids Companies have responded to the unhoused population. Specifically, Rockford Construction has been a complete backer of the interests of the downtown business community that was manifested in the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce ordinance proposal in December of 2022, followed by the letter of endorsers of said ordinance proposal, followed by the backing of the City of Grand Rapids ordinances (a modified version of the GR Chamber’s proposal) adoption this past July. 

The CEO of Rockford Construction was present when the City adopted the two ordinances that will further criminalize the unhoused. I posted an article the following day, which included these comments: Right after the vote to adopt the criminalizing ordinances, I got up to leave. Sitting two rows behind me was Rockford Construction’s CEO Mike VanGessel. VanGessel was sitting with another white guy and I just simply said, “well boys, you got what you wanted and what you paid for.” VanGessel is part of the Chamber of Commerce and is the chair of the municipal council, which represents 130 businesses downtown. VanGessel didn’t bother to speak during public comment, as he would prefer to let his money speak for him.

The fact that Grand Rapids will award a total pf $10,321,660 with a total amount not-to-exceed $12,462,996 to Rockford Construction is completely expected, considering the company’s relationship to the interlocking systems of power in Grand Rapids and their deep commitment to the principle of Profits Over People.