Comparison · 18 material differences
Family Business Alliance vs REAPS
This comparison was generated on request from the records. It carries no editorial verdict and is not indexed. The published comparisons are listed on the compare page.
Read down each column for one organization, across a row for the difference. A bronze mark at the left of a cell means the organizations differ on that row. A dash or “not published” means the organization does not disclose the fact; it is not a zero.
Verified September 2026
Family-business organization
Verified September 2026 Family Business Alliance
Family-owned businesses in West Michigan: owners and family leaders running the business, next-generation family members preparing to lead, and the non-family executives who work…
Investment community
REAPS
Private real estate investors in the Puget Sound region, from beginners to experienced operators, plus service businesses selling to them
What the records say
- Geographic restriction: Family Business Alliance: West Michigan, centred on Grand Rapids; REAPS: Puget Sound region for in-person membership; online-only membership is available without attending in person.
- Annual dues: Family Business Alliance: $625 a year; REAPS: $249 a year.
Side by side
| Family Business Alliance | REAPS | |
|---|---|---|
| Profile | ||
| Type | Family-business organization | Investment community |
| Founded | 2006 (The Alliance's about page states it was "Founded in 2006 by family business leaders who saw the need to establish a supportive community for family business professionals" and marks 2026 as its 20th year. Secondary sources describe the launch as being spearheaded by the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce and the Family Owned Business Institute at Grand Valley State University's Seidman College of Business.) | 1983 |
| Headquarters | Grand Rapids, United States | Bellevue, United States |
| Geographic footprint | West Michigan, based in Grand Rapids | Greater Seattle and the Puget Sound region, with monthly meetings in Mercer Island, Fife, Everett, Bremerton and Bellingham and a commercial real estate group in Bellevue |
| Members | 200as of September 2026 | Not publicly disclosed. REAPS describes itself as the largest real estate investor association in Washington State but publishes no membership figure. |
| Chapters | A single-market organisation with no chapters. | A single regional association rather than a chaptered body; it runs recurring meetings in several Puget Sound locations. REAPS is itself the Washington State affiliate of National REIA. |
| Primary audience | Family-owned businesses in West Michigan: owners and family leaders running the business, next-generation family members preparing to lead, and the non-family executives who work alongside them | Private real estate investors in the Puget Sound region, from beginners to experienced operators, plus service businesses selling to them |
| Typical member | Members are family-owned companies in the Grand Rapids region across a wide size range. The dues scale runs from a Small Business tier restricted to firms under $3 million in annual revenue up to a $10,000 Community tier, so both very small family firms and substantial regional employers sit in the same organisation. Peer groups also admit non-family key executives. | Members are individual real estate investors (flippers, wholesalers, buy-and-hold landlords, lenders, short-term rental operators) at a range of experience levels, alongside business members such as contractors, lenders and property managers who buy the paid business tiers. |
| Qualification | ||
| Geographic restriction | West Michigan, centred on Grand Rapidsverified September 2026 · source ↗ | Puget Sound region for in-person membership; online-only membership is available without attending in personverified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Invitation required | No | No |
| Sponsor required | No | No |
| Application process | Companies join by selecting one of the five published membership tiers. Peer group entry is separate: applicants complete an FBA Peer Group Application or contact the Director of Membership, who advises which of the three streams fits, and are then placed into a group of eight to ten peers at a comparable career stage. | Membership is bought online from the REAPS site by selecting a level; there is no application, sponsor or review stage in the published process. Prospective members are invited to register through the events calendar and attend one main monthly meeting free before joining. |
| Selectivity | Not publicly disclosed: membership appears open to family-owned businesses in West Michigan at the published rates. Peer group placement is curated by staff rather than open. | Not publicly disclosed; the published route is open paid enrolment. |
| Cost | ||
| Annual dues | $625 a yearSmall Business tier, for businesses earning less than $3 million annually: 2 signature event tickets, 1 peer group slot, leadership programme and partner workshop access.verified September 2026 · source ↗ | $249 a yearIndividual membership, annual planverified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Monthly dues | Five published annual tiers from $625 to $10,000, each carrying a defined allocation of event tickets, peer group slots and programme registrations. Peer group placement is charged separately. | $29 a monthIndividual membership, monthly planverified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Initiation fee | No membership initiation fee is published.verified September 2026 | Not publicly disclosed; no joining fee is listed alongside the published dues.verified September 2026 |
| Programme fee | $625 one-timeOne-time placement fee for the NextGen Peer Group. Placement fees for the NowGen and KeyGroup streams are not published.verified September 2026 · source ↗ | Not publicly disclosed |
| Event costs | Five published annual tiers from $625 to $10,000, each carrying a defined allocation of event tickets, peer group slots and programme registrations. Peer group placement is charged separately. | $0 one-timeMembers attend more than 50 live events a year free; first-time visitors may attend one main monthly meeting free as a guestverified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Membership term | Annual | Annual or monthly, depending on the plan chosen |
| Structure | ||
| Meeting frequency | Peer groups meet monthly for half-day sessions; the Alliance holds more than 16 events a year alongside its succession, leadership and governance programmes | More than 50 live events a year, including monthly meetings in Mercer Island, Fife, Everett, Bremerton and Bellingham and a commercial group in Bellevue |
| Peer forums | Peer groups of eight to ten members with a seasoned outside professional as moderator, in three streams: NowGen (family members currently running the business), NextGen (younger family members not yet leading) and KeyGroup (non-family key executives) | Member forum online plus subject-specific learning groups; no confidential facilitated peer forum is published |
| Confidentiality | The Alliance describes its peer groups as confidential spaces built on a circle of trust, and states that networking primarily for lead generation is not a programme goal. No written confidentiality policy is published. | Not publicly disclosed |
| Time commitment | Peer group members commit to a monthly half-day meeting | Not documented |
| Organized as | Forum-based, Event-focused | Event-focused, Virtual |
| Confidential peer forums | Yes | Partial |
| Local chapters | No | No |
| Virtual membership | No | Yes |
| Online community | Partial | Yes |
| Member directory | Partial | Yes |
| Events | Yes | Yes |
| Programming | ||
| Educational programming | Yes | Yes |
| Leadership development | Yes | No |
| Retreats | Not documented | No |
| Travel | No | No |
| Family programming | Yes | No |
| Spouse and partner programming | Not documented | Partial |
| Next-generation programming | Yes | No |
| Investment discussions | No | Yes |
| Investment opportunities | No | Partial |
| Philanthropic component | No | No |
| Networking emphasis | Medium | High |
| Social emphasis | Medium | Medium |
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Last verified: not yet reviewed
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Sources
Drawn from the sources listed on each page: Family Business Alliance · REAPS