TRAVEL & TOURISM
RICHARD WINN President AHC+Hospitality, Grand Rapids
FRED KELLER
Founder, chair Cascade Engineering, Grand Rapids
Richard Winn has held his current position for over six years, beginning with the company in 1997 as Amway Grand general manager and then as vice president and managing director. In the past five years, the AHC portfolio has grown from one hotel — the Amway Grand — to seven. The company also owns the JW Marriott Grand Rapids, Courtyard Grand Rapids Downtown and the AC Hotel Grand Rapids Downtown, as well as manages the Hyatt Place Grand Rapids/Downtown, Peter Island Resort & Spa in the British Virgin Islands and The Waterfront Inn in Florida. Winn has experience growing a chain of hotels in his previous job as CFO of Adam’s Mark Hotels in St. Louis, where he started by helping open a 900-room flagship hotel. His community involvement includes work with Grand Rapids-Kent County Convention/Arena Authority, Grand Rapids DDA, Experience Grand Rapids, and the Michigan Restaurant and Lodging Association.
LIVING LEGENDS
DAVID FREY
Chairman, CEO Union Bancorp Inc., Grand Rapids
A fourth-generation Grand Rapidian, David Frey began his banking career in 1971 with Manufacturers Hanover Corporation in New York. In 1974, he returned to Grand Rapids to join Union Bank & Trust Co. founded by his grandfather in 1918. He subsequently served as president and then chairman of Union Bank & Trust Company and Union Bancorp Inc., its parent. Union Bancorp merged with NBD Bancorp in 1986. Frey was the officer in charge of NBD Bank – West Michigan and its successor financial institutions, culminating in a merger with JPMorgan Chase in 2004. He is a civic leader in the metropolitan Grand Rapids area. He served as co-chair of Grand Action, which spearheaded the design, funding and construction of the Van Andel Arena, DeVos Place Convention Center, Meijer Civic Theatre historic renovation and the Downtown Market. In 1993, he served as chairman of the Grand Rapids Community Foundation and chairman of The Right Place in 2001. He currently serves as vice chair of Grand Action 2.0.
EDUCATION: Western Michigan University (B) BEST ADVICE: Never give up on anything that is important to you HOBBY: Renovating homes ADVICE TO 18-YEAR-OLD: Find out what really inspires you and go after it. Have patience, be persistent and be willing to put in the work to achieve it. GRAND RAPIDS ATTRACTION: Van Andel Arena
EDUCATION: University of North Carolina (B, JD) FIRST JOB: Houseboy at private trout fishing club TOUGHEST CHALLENGE: Corporate turnaround in a poor economy, dismal stock market and interest rates at a generational high level HIDDEN TALENT: Sang in the men's glee club in high school FAVORITE BOOK: "Theodore Rex" by Edmund Morris
Fred Keller said he believes business has the opportunity to complement its efforts on financial performance with works in social and environmental arenas. That was the credence he harbored some 47 years ago when he began molding plastic parts with six employees in a 10,000-squarefoot building. Now, that succinct belief has been manifested in the continuous growth of the company. Cascade Engineering now employs nearly 2,000 people across 13 facilities in six U.S. locations and additional European operations in Budapest, Hungary. The company primarily focuses on designing, engineering and injection molding of large plastic parts. Cascade has nine business units that supply a variety of markets including transportation, recycling/waste management, office furniture, agricultural/industrial containers, polymer compounding and RFID asset management. Keller’s business success has given him a platform where he shares his knowledge and experiences with students at his alma mater.
Family-owned SIBSCO is a commercial real estate firm with more than 1 million square feet in its portfolio. Peter Secchia’s influence reaches far beyond real estate. He is the former U.S. Ambassador to Italy and previously served as chairman of the Grand Rapids Economic Club, president of Youth Commonwealth, on the board of Baxter Community Center and led many community activities to raise funds for inner-city schools and youth through the Gus Maker basketball tournaments in downtown Grand Rapids. He also chaired the re-dedication of the George Welsh Auditorium and chaired the original dedication of the Van Andel Arena. He was the operations chairman for the Gerald R. Ford Museum dedication (1981), chairman of the Secchia Millennium Commission for the city of Grand Rapids (2000) and chairman of the fundraising committee for the amenities to be added to Kent County’s Millennium Park (2003-06). Secchia also helped found the GRPS high school for hospitality sciences and what is now the West Michigan Sports Commission. His family name appears on buildings throughout downtown, including Secchia Hall at GVSU, the Secchia Center at MSU’s College of Human Medicine and the Secchia Institute for Culinary Education at GRCC.
PETER SECCHIA
Managing partner SIBSCO, Grand Rapids
EDUCATION: Cornell University (B), Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (M) FIRST JOB: Selling greeting cards door to door at 12 years old HIDDEN TALENT: Pastry chef FAVORITE HOBBIES: Hiking, woodworking, cooking TRAVEL DESTINATION: Rural Germany LESSON LEARNED: When bad things happen, you need to learn from it but not let it define your future.
86 THE GRAND RAPIDS 200
EDUCATION: Michigan State University (B) BEST ADVICE: PPPPP (prior planning prevents poor performance)
