July 12, 2021, Grand Rapids, Mich. -- Start at GRCC and go anywhere. Every former student has a story to tell about how GRCC gave them the education and opportunity to be successful.
Dave Custer spent almost 40 years building a successful workplace interiors business that now employs 114 people with sales of $58 million.
But in the 1960s, Custer was a first-generation student at Grand Rapids Junior College. His father’s grocery store had been forced to close, and he was happy he could afford GRJC tuition. In 1967, he transferred his GRJC credits to Western Michigan University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree.
“Grand Rapids Junior College had lower tuition and allowed me to stay at home and helped me get a start on a college degree,” he said. “And having that degree allowed for better opportunities of employment, which then molded my career.”
The CEO and founder of Custer Inc. shares his story with almost everyone he encounters, saying, “If it wasn’t for GRJC, my life would be very different from what it is today.”
The American Association of Community Colleges named him one of just four 2020 Outstanding Alumni Award recipients from among 600 nominations. Then this past spring, the Council for Advancement and Support of Education named him the recipient of the 2020 Ernest T. Steward Award for Alumni Volunteer Involvement. The award, named for the first executive director of the American Alumni Council, recognizes an individual for service to his or her alma mater and is the highest honor CASE presents to an alumni volunteer.
Dave Custer became a member of the GRCC Foundation’s board of directors in 1989 and immediately joined efforts that led Kent County voters to redistrict GRJC into the independent, standalone Grand Rapids Community College. In 2008, he was named board chair -- the first time this leadership position was held by someone other than the college president. He has served as chair of the fundraising committee for 30 years, and his tenure includes a historic milestone: In 2017, more than $1 million in scholarships were awarded. He and his wife, Karen, most recently served as honorary chairs of GRCC’s A Broader Vision capital campaign.
The Custers’ latest project realizes a long-held dream of the GRCC Foundation: a permanent home for fundraising and alumni activities. Their leadership and insight was recognized by the GRCC board of trustees, which voted unanimously to rename the refurbished Lettinga House the Custer Alumni House.
Dave Custer, GRCC’s 2010 Distinguished Alumnus, says he is always happy to help an institution that helps so many.
“I want to help give others the same chance and opportunity I had,” he said. “I don’t know what our community would do without GRCC.”
Let GRCC help you start your story. The first chapter starts at grcc.edu/apply.