President, The Windquest Group; Retired President, Alticor – Grand Rapids, MI
Dick DeVos was born and raised in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and is a proud graduate of Northwood University. He has spent his business career working in a variety of executive positions at Amway, the NBA’s Orlando Magic, and The Windquest Group where he currently serves as President.
As President of Amway from 1993 to 2002, DeVos held responsibility for all aspects of the company’s operations in 50 countries and six continents. In his final fiscal year of service, Amway reported sales of $4.5 billion. Prior to assuming the Presidency, he served as Vice President of Amway International where he held responsibility for the company’s operations in 18 countries outside North America. Under his leadership, the company opened new markets and tripled international sales to exceed domestic sales for the first time in the company’s history. DeVos became President and CEO of the Orlando Magic when his family acquired the team in 1991, a role he held for three years.
Along with leadership in the world of business, DeVos has been a leader in a wide range of community initiatives. Having started the Education Freedom Fund which has awarded more than 4,000 scholarships to underprivileged children in Michigan, and the West Michigan Aviation Academy, a high school that aims to provide a rigorous educational program through an aviation focus, preparing students for unlimited opportunities, including college achievement, career success, and engaged citizenship, DeVos, who served on the Michigan State Board of Education, is also Founder and Chairman of the Regional Air Alliance of West Michigan (RAAWM), a private sector initiative dedicated to providing world-class commercial air service in the region. He has led as chair/co-chair various Grand Rapids area downtown revitalization and regional health care improvements including a $75M downtown area, a $212M convention center, a $130M heart hospital, a $90M medical school and a $30M Downtown Market. He was the Republican candidate for Governor of Michigan in 2006.
With his New York Times best-selling book, “Rediscovering American Values” published in 1997 and available in seven languages, DeVos exemplifies Northwood University ideals by celebrating the principles that make America great and that shape who we are, how we live, and how we treat each other. Through real-life examples, he offers lessons on how each of us can apply these values in everything we do. Values such as honesty, fairness, humility, initiative, service, compassion, and leadership are, he argues, not just a matter of preference but essential to both personal and collective freedom.
A two-time National Champion sailor, a qualified jet aircraft and helicopter pilot, and a product of both the Harvard and Wharton Executive Study programs, DeVos was honored with the Northwood University Outstanding Alumni and the Direct Selling Association Hall of Fame Awards. DeVos has been married to the former Betsy Prince for 35 years and they now have seven children and two granddaughters.
*All biographical information is only current up to the date of the award.
