Rockford (Construction) will likely get the contract for a housing development project next to the Amway Stadium

At a recent Downtown Development Authority (DDA) meeting, Rockford (formerly known as Rockford Construction) was authorized to “to explore development potential for surface lot property the DDA owns,” according to a story on Crain’s Grand Rapids Business.

In a Memorandum from the DDA (part of the Agenda packet from 12/10 pg. 41) it reads:

For several reasons, staff believe Rockford is uniquely qualified to deliver on the objectives previously articulated for the project and site. Those qualifications include being the general contractor for the Stadium which provides them with an understanding of site conditions and coordination logistics for future development. Further Rockford is Downtown based, well capitalized, and has a history of delivering projects on the west side of Downtown – including several mixed-use projects with housing in the immediate vicinity of the stadium.

MLive also reported on the DDA’s recommendation that Rockford be the preferred developer for the housing project next to the Amway Stadium.

The problem with the MLive and Crain’s reporting is that it doesn’t provide adequate context for all the players involved in the development project. Here is how I see this project coming together.

• The Amway Stadium project, which included adjacent housing, was proposed by Grand Action 2.0. Dick DeVos is one of the three co-Chairs of this group.
• The Grand Rapids Downtown Development Authority (DDA) approved the original request for the Amway Stadium and is now recommending that Rockford get the contract for the housing development project. Two of the nine board members for the DDA are DeVos family operatives – Greg McNeilly (The Windquest Group is run by Dick and Betsy DeVos) and Rick Winn, the President of AHC Hospitality is owned by the DeVos and Van Andel families.
• It was determined last year that the Soccer Stadium would be named the Amway Stadium, since the Amway Coporation bought the naming rights for $33 million. The Amway Corporation is owned by the DeVos and Van Andel families.
• Just after the soccer stadium would be named the Amway Stadium, it was reported that the DeVos and Van Andel families would own the professional soccer team that would be playing at the Amway Stadium.
• The fact that Rockford was named as the company to likely get the contract to develop the housing project adjacent to the Amway Stadium makes complete sense. Rockford has a long history of working with the DeVos family, like the company’s integral involvement with the Doug & Maria DeVos-funded effort to spend millions to purchase land in the Boston Square and Cottage Grove areas, with Rockford’s involvement that began as early as 2014, some three years before the public ever knew about it. 

In a 2016 MLive article, former Rockford CEO Mike VanGessel was talking about why Rockford moved to the westside:

Three years after moving the company’s headquarters into the neighborhood, VanGessel is working on a series of plans and projects aimed at revitalizing the gritty, working-class neighborhood into an entertainment, shopping and residential neighborhood.

VanGessel revealed in this article that he had developed important relationships over the years with other power players in the area, specifically Rich DeVos, Mike Jandernoa and Pete Secchia.

So, you can see from my narrative about who benefits from these development projects is based on who gets to decide, which in this case it is primarily the DeVos family, followed by the Van Andel family. This is what political and economic power looks like in Grand Rapids.