Montcalm County 4-H’er
Chairman Emeritus, Meijer, Inc.

“I think if young people can have responsibility and feel needed, it’s a wonderful thing.”

Millions of people know Fred Meijer the entrepreneur and Fred Meijer the philanthropist. It’s time they got to know Fred Meijer the 4-H’er. Born and raised on his family’s 96-acre farm in Greenville, Meijer was one of the original members of Montcalm County’s Burgess Lake 4-H Club which today is led by the grandson of its founder, the late Walt Taylor. Young Meijer raised cows for his 4-H projects, earning the opportunity to show his prize Guernsey at the Montcalm County Fair. Ironically, the Guernsey went to the
Montcalm County Fair with Fred, but went to the Detroit Fair without Fred who was ill and stayed home. In 1934, Meijer went to work for his father, Hendrik, at North Side Grocery, the original Meijer store located on the western edge of Montcalm County. North Side Grocery became Meijer Thrift Market, with a second store opening in 1942 at which time Fred was made a full business partner. During World War II, Meijer was drafted, but rejected by the Army due to a small hernia. Meijer Super Market operations expanded to three different cities in 1946, the same year Meijer married Lena Rader, a former cashier at the North Side Grocery. Today, 181 Meijer stores employ more than 65,000 workers in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky and Illinois.

Philanthropy has become synonymous with Fred Meijer. Many Meijer stores are annual contributors to 4-H, donating products and cash resources through their Community Rewards Programs to 4-H clubs across Michigan. A founding donor of the Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park, Meijer is also a patron of the Greenville Area Foundation, the Lakeview Foundation and Greenville’s Spectrum Health United Memorial Hospital. Businessman and benefactor, Meijer resides with his wife in Grand Rapids.