John Ball Zoo has tapped Jon Nunn, the longtime Grand Action leader who helped deliver Van Andel Arena and DeVos Place, to advance plans for a large-scale aquarium in Kent County, Crain’s Grand Rapids Business has learned.
Nunn will advance stakeholder engagement and assist with due diligence for the aquarium, signaling that the project, which has been years in the making, is entering a new phase ahead of a targeted 2031 opening.
Nunn served as the founding executive director for the Grand Vision Committee, the predecessor to Grand Action that Dick DeVos assembled in 1991 to leverage public and private funds to develop major downtown projects. Nunn was involved with Grand Action for more than three decades, retiring from the organization in July 2022 when Kara Wood took over as executive director.
John Ball Zoo has been studying and working on plans to develop an aquarium in West Michigan since 2021…