Darel Ross

Darel Ross II has had a lifelong passion for serving the Grand Rapids, Michigan community. For more than a decade, he has worked in both the non-profit and for-profit sectors to elicit real change and make Grand Rapids a more inclusive and opportunistic city for living, working and educating people of all backgrounds. All of this work has led him to his current role of Director at Start Garden, an organization which brings together financial, intellectual and social capital for entrepreneurs to empower West Michigan's startup ecosystem. Darel began by receiving a Finance degree from Alabama A&M University. Feeling a strong connection to the neighborhood he grew up in, Ross returned to Grand Rapids and successfully opened and managed an insurance agency on the Southeast side.

For more than nine years, Darel served as Treasurer, and most recently as Co-Executive Director for LINC UP, an organization that brings together housing, economic development, essential needs services, business incubation and real estate development serving Kent County. Through his leadership, Darel has helped secure over $67 million in funding for community improvement efforts resulting in increasing assets for 300+ families, training more than 600 residents, improving over 750 homes, creating over 120 full-time jobs

Darel’s newest venture, Forty Acres Soul Kitchen, is another extension of creating more job, learning and cultural opportunities for the residents of Grand Rapids. As co-owner, Darel and his business partner, Lewis Williams, will support local workforce efforts by hiring residents and sharing the real story and rich history of African Americans in Grand Rapids and beyond.

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