A new aviator has just joined the Washington political circle. In October 2017, Dick DeVos was appointed to the Federal Aviation Administration’s Management Advisory Council. This council is made up of 13 members from across the aviation industry. In addition, several policymakers who have previously worked within the Federal Aviation Administration will also be joining the board.
Together the council is responsible for crafting new policies, regulations, and budgets that will bring the aviation industry into the next era. For many years, the aviation industry has gone up and down, but recently, the industry has finally reached a stride. Business travelers make up a large majority of aviation consumers, so it will be interesting to see how DeVos changes the way these policies affect the industry and what he will recommend to build the American aviation industry.
There are many who wonder what makes DeVos qualified to sit on this council. They would only have to look at his record with Gerald R. Ford airport to see how DeVos brings savvy business leadership to the table. As the President of Amway and founder of Windquest Group, DeVos has done a lot to help the aviation industry. He has worked with leaders at Air Tran Airways and Southwest as well.
Through his partnerships with these aviation brands, he managed to grow the Gerald R. Ford airport in his hometown. Over the past decade, he has worked with aviation companies to renovate and add new terminals at the airport. This has garnered incredible praise from the President of Gerald R. Ford airport as well as Southwest’s CEO.
DeVos is no stranger to making difficult decisions to further economic opportunities. His work in Grand Rapids has provide beneficial to the city. His partnerships with Air Tran and Southwest led to a $45 million makeover for the airport that allowed new terminals, business centers, and food court options to be added. The airport had previously gone into disrepair.
DeVos has keen insight into what makes businesses more successful. He works with his own holdings group to promote some incredible businesses, including Boxed Water, which is a sustainable water company that focuses on bringing water to different parts of the world that struggle to get water every day.
There are many ways that DeVos has contributed to the communities of Michigan as well. He went so far as to run for governor in 2006, but after an unsuccessful run, he turned to working within his own community and improving education centers. This included building an aviation charter school within Grand Rapids’ airport for students who wanted to learn about aviation and work as a pilot.
As DeVos moves to Washington, he joins his wife Betsy DeVos who has been making great strides in education. Her work combined with her husband will surely provide new political clout in the coming years as the pair climb the political ladder.
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