Dissecting the Amway talking points used for buying the naming rights to the Grand Rapids soccer stadium

As GRIID reported on November 18th, it should have been no surprise to anyone that the yet to be constructed soccer stadium would be named the Amway Stadium.

Earlier this year, GRIID also wrote that people should have known that the DeVos family would want to see one of their corporation’s names on the new stadium, right after Dan DeVos purchased the property on Pearl Street, where the Big Boy restaurant sits, that the location of the new stadium would end up there.

In today’s post, I want to dissection a recent interview done by the online platform known as GR&Riverfront, which is essentially a collaboration between various members of the Grand Rapids Power Structure, to promote projects, businesses and tourist attractions along the Grand River.

GR&Riverfront recently interviewed the CEO of Amway, Michael Nelson, on the DeVos company’s decision to buy the naming rights to the new soccer stadium. I am posting the entire interview, which will include my own responses to the Amway CEO’s comments, which will begin with GRIID and the commentary in italics.

GR& Riverfront: What inspired Amway to make this significant commitment to the new downtown soccer stadium and to visibly connect the company to this venue?

Michael Nelson: Though our business spans the world, our home is West Michigan. It has been since Rich DeVos and Jay Van Andel founded the company in 1959 – and always will be. This community is special to Amway and the 2,500+ employees that work in our Headquarters location in Ada.  

That’s why we’re committed to ongoing investments in this community – its people and its success. We’re proud to support the vision of Grand Action 2.0 and to continue Amway’s legacy of community partnership. It’s an honor to have our name associated with such an exciting new landmark in Grand Rapids. GRIID – Amway, like all corporations, has as its primarily commitment to increase their profits. The legacy of Amway’s investment in Grand Rapids can be summed up in its relationship to Grand Action 2.0, which was co-founded by the DeVos and Van Andel families. Every project that Grand Action 2.0 has imposed on the City of Grand Rapids using massive amounts of public money without public input – the Van Andel Arena, the upgrade of the Civic Theater, the Convention Center, the Downtown Market, the Amphitheater and the Soccer Stadium, all came about primarily because of public funding, plus all of these venues have greatly expanded the profits of all of the hotels that the DeVos family owns in downtown GR. Public investment equals massive private profits for the Amway owners. This is their legacy.

GR&: Grand Rapids as a city, and Amway as a company, have great histories in sports. What is it about sports that brings people together – both in a region and via a company? What about that excites you with regards to this new stadium?

Michael: We are a people business, and sports bring people together. It’s often a source of community and connection – offering shared experiences and points of pride. Those ideas are part of Amway and the thousands of communities around the world that Amway Business Owners create.

While this will be the home of a new soccer club, the Amway Stadium will also provide much more – a hub for community interaction and healthy activity. Just like the team it houses, it will be something this community can feel proud of, because it will make Grand Rapids a destination for people to visit across Michigan and beyond. GRIID – The DeVos family does love sports, which is why they own the Grand Rapids Griffins, the Orlando Magic NBA team, the now defunct Grand Rapids Rampage, the Grand Rapids Rise (women’s volleyball team) and the Orlando Squeeze, a Major League Pickleball franchise owned by Ryan DeVos. As for the soccer team that will play in the new Amway Stadium, I would bet money that it will also be owned by the DeVos family. The DeVos family doesn’t care about community, they care about expanding their wealth, and owning sports teams is one way to do just that.

GR&: Many of Amway’s efforts in the region are focused on activities that promote a healthy lifestyle and togetherness, including the Amway River Bank Run. Why is this a focus and how does the soccer stadium connect to it?

Michael: Amway’s purpose is to help people live better, healthier lives. This is our promise to every community we serve – from Asia, to Europe, to South America, to our home in West Michigan. And Amway solutions are focused on supporting people’s health and wellbeing journey. Therefore, this soccer stadium is a natural fit! 

Our Founders, Jay Van Andel and Rich DeVos, believed that all of us are responsible for using our talents to make the world a better place. Supporting our community and working together have been key parts of Amway since 1959. Rich and Jay knew that a strong partnership, using our unique skills and talents toward a shared purpose, allows us to go far. West Michigan demonstrates this uniquely through the many public-private partnerships that occur, including the soccer stadium. GRIID – The purpose of Amway is to make profits for the DeVos and Van Andel families. Read the book, “Amway : The Cult of Free Enterprise,” by Stephen Butterfield, which provides investigative insight into the pyramid scheme that Amway was built on. Tens of thousands of people have lost everything and gone into bankruptcy while attempting to sell Amway products, which dismantles the notion that Amway wants to “help people live better.” In addition, the DeVos and Van Andel families have provide over $100 million in campaign contributions to political candidates, candidates that embrace Neo-Liberal economic policies, which have harmed countless lives, often subjecting them to poverty. Amway doesn’t care about the health of most people who live in West Michigan, they care about expanding their wealth and maintaining an ideological position that believes that their wealth is because of their commitment to God.

GR&: Thousands of Amway employees are based in western Michigan and many Amway Independent Business Owners visit regularly. What will this stadium mean for them?

Michael: For 65 years, Amway has been part of the West Michigan community. It’s where our Founders were born, started a business, and raised their own families. The Grand Rapids landscape was shaped through that support and regional commitment. We’re proud to have our name on a new regional landmark and to keep Rich and Jay’s commitment alive. We hope that our employees, Business Owners, and broader community see this not only as a commitment to our region, but also an investment in our health and wellbeing focus. GRIID – If the DeVos and Van Andel families were so committed to the health and well being of those living in Grand Rapids, then why did they sign on to supporting the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce ordinance proposal to criminalize the unhoused, then backed the City’s two ordinances that has clearly criminalized the unhoused in Grand Rapids?  

GR&: Soccer is a global game that has grown greatly in popularity in the United States in recent decades. Does the global nature of the game and the global nature of the Amway business go hand-in-hand?

Michael: Amway operates in more than 100 countries and territories – with millions of passionate Amway Business Owners building health and wellbeing communities. We’re the #1 direct selling company in the world. And soccer is the #1 sport in the world – inspiring a unique comradery and community spirit. Supporting this soccer stadium is a great example of building community based on our unique values. 

We know that we’re all stronger, and better, when communities come together and rally for a shared purpose. We’re excited to see what the future of West Michigan soccer holds. For our community, and for global fans of this great sport! GRIID – Of course Amway is the #1 global direct sales company. It’s because their get rich quick scheme has been able to con millions of poor people around the world that they too can make lots of money selling Amway products. The reality however, is that few people get rich from selling Amway products. The goal is really not to sell Amway products, but the idea of Amway and recruit as many people as possible to sell Amway products. Every person you convince to sell Amway products has to give you part of the sales, resulting in a small number getting super rich without having to do much work, while the majority of those who are actually selling Amway products will put their lives in financial jeopardy. This is the cold hard reality of Amway’s pyramid scheme, a scheme that is based on exploitation.