With over 500 miles terrain to cover, Randy Boyd is putting a unique spin on the race to become the next governor of Tennessee.
Since August 2, former Tennessee Economic and Community Development Commissioner and Knoxville businessman Randy Boyd has taken to Northeast Tennessee for the “Run With Randy” campaign, a statewide run from Bristol to Memphis covering 537 miles. An active runner, Boyd told the Elizabethton Star Wednesday the goal is to promote healthy living and have direct approach with the citizens of the state.
“The Run With Randy campaign has been everything I hoped it would be,” Boyd said. “We get an early start to each day and have a nice run through each of the beautiful parts of the state. The rest of the day, we get a chance to spend time with the people of Tennessee and get a deep dive on the dreams and concerns of people across the state.”
Wednesday’s stop in Carter County saw the candidate visit different areas, including the Carter County Courthouse, Dino’s Restaurant, Tennessee College of Applied Technology and the Elizabethton Star.
“Carter County is amazing,” Boyd said. “My goal is the same as (Carter County Mayor Leon Humphrey) and that’s to make sure Carter County is no longer the best kept secret in America. We need to expose all the great things that are going on in the county.”
One of the highlights from the trip to the county included the visit to TCAT’s campus in Stoney Creek, according to Boyd.
“From the economic development point of view, the most important thing businesses look for is an educated workforce,” he said. “Carter County has the ability to create the most educated workforce in the state, if not the country. As governor, I would want to support them any way I can.”
The race to replace term-limited Gov. Bill Haslam is starting to heat up with multiple candidates announcing their intentions to run. Joining Boyd as Republican candidates are businessman Bill Lee, Tennessee Speaker of the House Beth Harwell, Sen. Mae Beavers and Rep. Diane Black. Democratic hopefuls include former Nashville Mayor Karl Dean and former House member Craig Fitzhugh.
For more, one of the goals moving forward is to eliminate distressed counties across the state. According to information provided by the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC), Carter County is one of the at-risk counties within the First Tennessee Development District. With information coming from economic figures for fiscal year 2018, only two counties in Northeast Tennessee are above the “at-risk” threshold. In the state, 19 counties are classified as “distressed” while 33 counties are considered “at-risk”.
“My vision is to make Tennessee the state of opportunity,” Boyd said. “Opportunity for better education, opportunity for better jobs and opportunity for everyone. The opportunity for better education is completing the ‘Drive to 55’. When we talk about the opportunity for everyone, that means we are not going to leave any of our rural counties behind. We have a lot of counties in our state that are getting left behind.”
Boyd served as one of the key cogs behind the “Drive to 55” program, TN Promise and tnAchieves. With the state recently unveiling tuition free opportunities for residents, Boyd added he wants to see the goal completed.
“It’s a mission I helped create and it’s a mission I want to see fulfilled,” Boyd said. “We have a lot of work left to do. We’re at 39 percent of our goal of 55 percent by 2025. That’s 55 percent of our population having something beyond high school, whether it be a certificate or diploma.
“The way we get more people there, quicker, is through investing into vocational and technical programs at the high school level and at our technical colleges so that adults can come back and get a certificate or degree and so that high school students have more of an opportunity to succeed.”
From education comes development for better jobs across the state, Boyd said. The Knoxville native and his wife, Jenny, founded Radio Systems Corporation, an industry-leading manufacture products that employs over 700 individuals. Boyd is also the owner of the Tennessee Smokies and Johnson City Cardinals Minor League Baseball affiliates. Focusing on the small-business aspect would be a key focus for a Boyd administration. Elizabethton knows firsthand what the impact of small businesses can be with over 90 percent of the workforce being comprised of small businesses.
“The opportunity of better jobs is about helping small businesses be successful,” Boyd said. “I’m an entrepreneur, I know what it means to make a payroll. I have two sons that are entrepreneurs and my wife is an entrepreneur.
“I’m a little biased,” Boyd continued with a grin. “But I believe that is what will drive the future of our economy. The best thing the government can do for small businesses is to get out of the way. We have too many rules and regulations so one of my focuses on the first day would be to create a task force to work toward reducing the rules and restrictions we have on small businesses getting started.”
Another key focus, Boyd added, is to move Tennessee more toward a healthier mindset.
“I think we spend way too much time talking about health insurance and not enough time talking about our actual health,” he said. “We need a bigger focus on our health and that starts with our young people in elementary school. The state needs to be able to provide resources to be able to create initiatives to create healthier lifestyles. It’s something we all need to promote.”
To learn more about the candidate, visit their website at randyboyd.com or check out social media.