Two names associated with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s fledgling cabinet have ties to the plastics industry.
Trump’s nominee for Education Secretary is Elizabeth DeVos, the daughter of Edgar Prince, the founder of Holland, Mich.-based automotive parts supplier Prince Automotive. Edgar Prince died in 2005, and Prince Automotive was acquired by Johnson Controls Inc. for US$1.35 billion a year later. DeVos, 58, chairs the American Federation for Children, an advocacy group that has pushed to expand charter schools and school voucher programs that provide families with public money to spend on private school tuition.
Elizabeth DeVos
Trump is also reported to be considering billionaire investor Wilbur Ross – who served as Trump’s economic policy adviser during the presidential campaign – as Secretary of Commerce. Ross, 79, is the former chairman of injection molder and automotive parts supplier IAC Group, which was formed in 2006 when Lear Corp.’s North American interiors unit and Collins & Aikman Corp.’s European business were merged under Ross’ private equity firm, W.L. Ross and Co., and Franklin Mutual Advisers. IAC’s North American headquarters is in Southfield, Mich. The firm’s Canadian headquarters is located in Concord, Ont.
Wilbur Ross
