The influence of the DeVos oligarchy is palpable in Grand Rapids

Within the past week there were two concrete examples of how the DeVos oligarchy wields its influence in Grand Rapids.

On August 22nd MLive reported that AHC Hospitality lands 5-year, no-bid DeVos Place food and beverage contract. ACH Hospitality is owned by the DeVos family, which includes 16 properties, most of which are hotels.

The MLive story begins with:

The public authority that owns DeVos Place approved a five-year, no-bid contract Friday allowing AHC Hospitality to continue managing a food and beverage operation that generated $10.7 million in sales last fiscal year. The Grand Rapids-Kent County Convention/Arena Authority (CAA) approved the contract after board chair Rick Winn, president of AHC Hospitality, disclosed a conflict of interest and recused himself from the discussion and vote.

The MLive article primarily cites CAA Executive Director Rich MacKeigan, but the reporter never challenges the conflict of interest with the DeVos-owned ACH Hospitality nor the relationship between the DeVos oligarchy and the other members of the CAA board.

• Seven DeVos family members each gave Commissioner Thiel $1,225 in her re-election bid in 2024.
• Krista Flynn and Birgit Klohs are both on the Executive Committee of Grand Action 2.0, which was created by the DeVos family.
• Thus, at least 4 of the 7 CAA Board members have a direct connection to the DeVos family, but hey, there is no conflict of interest to give ACH Hospitality a 5 year, no bid contract to provide food and beverages for the DeVos Convention Center.

The other recent DeVos-related local news was from August 12, where the Downtown Development Authority (DDA) voted to use $50,000 of public funding to continue the locker storage program to benefit the unhoused. The $50,000 to cover costs of staffing and hours of operation.

The nine member DDA board voted 8 – 1 to provide the funds to continue the storage locker program at Mel Trotter Ministries. The only no vote was Greg McNeilly with the Windquest Group, which is one of the major assets owned by Dick & Betsy DeVos.

In 2006, McNeilly served as campaign manager for Michigan gubernatorial candidate Dick DeVos. McNeilly was also Executive Director of Choices for Children, a Michigan-based group that was working to undermine public education. In addition, McNeilly currently serves on the Board of Directors of the DeVos-created Great Lakes Education Project, which also seeks to undermine public education and replace it with privatized education.

It is instructive that the primary DeVos representative on the DDA board did not want to approve funding this project that would benefit the unhoused. Moreover, this program to provide locker storage for the unhoused in a direct response to the GR Chamber of Commerce initiated ordinances that Grand Rapids adopted in 2023. There were over 100 signatories that the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce collected to support the criminalization of the unhoused, and several of those names were DeVos family members and DeVos operatives.

In the end the DeVos oligarchy continues to influence policies in Grand Rapids that will protect their interests, expand their wealth and solidify their hold on the development of Downtown Grand Rapids.