Rick Snyder was born in Battle Creek, Michigan and grew up with his parents in a 900 square foot home on North 22nd Street. His father, Dale, owned a local window cleaning company. Rick attended Lakeview High School and as a kid spent summers working at a local general store, while fishing and waterskiing on Gun Lake.

Growing up in a close-knit family, Rick watched his parents befriend and mentor young people and vowed to continue this legacy. It’s a vow he’s kept many times over.

After graduating from the University of Michigan with three degrees (Bachelor’s, MBA, JD) by the age of 23, Rick joined Coopers & Lybrand (now PricewaterhouseCoopers) in Detroit, where he became a partner in just six years. It was while working here that Rick met Sue Kerr and it soon became clear they were “meant for each other”. During his first three years at Coopers & Lybrand, Rick also served as an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Accounting teaching tax courses in UM’s MBA program.

Rick and Sue were married in May of 1987 at Cherry Hill Presbyterian Church in Sue’s hometown of Dearborn, where they purchased their first home and started a family. Their first child, Jeff, was born at Oakwood Hospital on November 15, 1988.

When Rick accepted an executive position with Gateway, the family moved to North Sioux City, South Dakota in 1991. It was while Rick was managing Gateway that Rick and Sue’s two daughters were born. After six years leading the company along with the founder, Rick and Sue decided in 1997 to move back to their home state of Michigan to raise their own children in the state they adore.

In spite of the time and travel demands imposed by a variety of executive positions, Rick and Sue have raised their own close-knit family. Their oldest son, Jeff, is a senior in college. Their middle child, Melissa is a freshman and Kelsey, their youngest daughter, is in middle school. All of them take great delight in enjoying Gun Lake and Michigan’s other great natural resources.

It was out of concern for his and other children’s future in Michigan that Rick decided to run for Governor, with his family’s full support. As a family, they understand the rigors that come with campaigning and eventually governing. Drawing on each other for strength and comfort, they look forward to the challenges ahead.