Bud Stone, President & CEO
Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce

Bud has been a member of the Grand Rapids Area Community for almost forty years, having moved here from Detroit, Michigan in the spring of 1967. Bud started his career in the retail community in 1968 when he was hired by the local Ford dealership to sell cars. Bud remained in the car business for twenty-eight years and served in the capacity of both salesman and sales manager. Bud’s career in automobile sales was highlighted by numerous awards for above average performance and he was listed among the top fifty sales people in the State on five occasions. In 1996 Bud went to work for Waste Management as an Account Retention Specialist and worked for them until 2000. During that time, Bud was an active volunteer for the Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce and was Chair of their membership committee. He was elected incoming Chair of the Board in 2000. Before he could take office he was tapped for the position of President & CEO of the organization and moved into that administrative position in April 2000. Bud is an avid outdoorsman who loves the woods and the waters of northern Minnesota. He is also an entertainer and accomplished vocalist who spent many years on the Showboat stage and now sings in the local barbershop quartet known as the Applechords. Bud has served on many of the community’s boards and steering committees and is an active lobbyist for the chamber’s interests at all levels of government. He resides on a small lake about eight miles from the City of Grand Rapids with his wife of over forty years, Carol. Both of Bud and Carol’s children reside and work in the Grand Rapids Area and their four grandchildren attend area schools. Bud’s career in retail was a great training ground and it prepared him well for the job that he does for the Chamber today.