Grand Rapids Energy Heir Anton R. Williams Leverages Fossil Fuels to Advance Renewables “`

Anton Williams Ventures LLC, a Grand Rapids, Michigan-based holding company and its subsidiaries, is announcing initiatives to enhance fossil fuel production efficiency and expand its social services contributions.

These initiatives will improve energy efficiency through technological advancements in production and safety to maintain operational viability. This includes implementing switches, routers, sensors, and other devices to optimize productivity at oil and gas sites, while simultaneously advancing environmental sustainability. The technology also facilitates the use of critical minerals from these sites in renewable energy applications, including wind, solar, and electric vehicle battery production.

These improvements will also benefit the Anton R. Williams Real Estate Investment Trust in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and the GMNF Global Missions Society, both founded by Anton Williams. The REIT encompasses various real estate holdings, while the GMNF Mission Society is a social services organization addressing homelessness, food insecurity, prison reform, education, healthcare, and other needs. In 2024, through the GMNF Global Missions Society, Mr. Williams supported Dallas Theological Seminary (DTS) for theological education. DTS is the world’s largest non-denominational theological seminary, serving over 2,600 students from 70 denominations and 100 countries, and offering free online courses to approximately 800,000 learners globally, recently expanding its course offerings to Michigan.

Anton R. Williams, owner of the company and a ninth-generation business owner, hails from Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo, Michigan. His family’s business history began with his ancestor, David Williams, who emigrated from England to the Natchez, Mississippi region in the mid-1700s and acquired over 10,000 acres. His lineage also includes Archie P. Williams, a mixed-race millionaire slave owner in the mid-1800s who established the family’s involvement in the oil and gas industry in the early 1900s. Anton R. Williams Ventures represents a continuation and expansion of this legacy encompassing real estate, timber, oil, and gas enterprises.