Monitoring the most powerful family in West MI: The DeVos Family Reader – October 2025 edition

It has been 6 months since I last update the DeVos Family Reader. As always, there has been plenty to report on regarding the most powerful family in West Michigan.

In Howard Zinn’s monumental book, A People’s History of the United States, he constantly juxtaposes the amazing things that people did to fight for liberation and the people behind the systems of oppression that social movements were fighting against.

This is exactly why I have spent years monitoring, investigating and critiquing the DeVos Family. They are the most recognizable and powerful manifestation of the systems of power and oppression in West Michigan. Now, I know there are plenty of people who share the belief that without the DeVos Family, Grand Rapids wouldn’t be where it is today. I fully agree with that belief, but for reasons that are the exact opposite of those who hold the most powerful family in West Michigan in high regard.

This updated version of the DeVos Family Reader includes information and analysis on a variety of local issues, even some that are not directly focused on the DeVos Family, but there are connections.

Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce video is filled with misinformation, crafted moments and self-serving commentary by Dick DeVos 

“We had to destroy the art community in Grand Rapids, now we want to control it”, is what I take from the DeVos Institute’s strategy 

Billionaires like the DeVos family will also benefit from the Big Beautiful Bill just for owning private jets 

DeVos family always looking to expand their wealth, this time with high end bourbon and whiskey 

An interesting response to my recent post about the DeVos-owned bourbon label: Liberals acting as apologists for the DeVos family 

Believe in Our City: Just another iteration of the same old business as usual brand in Grand Rapids 

Why is Rep. Scholten celebrating a DeVos created charter school? 

The billionaire families of DeVos & Van Andel have hired a Chicago-based Real Estate developer for the 3 tower project in Grand Rapids 

These most recent articles further demonstrate the kind of power the DeVos family has, along with the numerous ways they insert themselves into West MI.

The DeVos Family Reader is now up to 830 pages, with more than 3 decades of reporting on the most powerful family in West Michigan.