Randy Boyd announces gubernatorial campaign

Knoxville businessman and Republican Randy Boyd announced his campaign for governor of Tennessee to succeed Gov. Bill Haslam on Monday, March 6.

Boyd’s campaign will focus on expanding opportunities to all Tennessee families and residents including better education and better jobs, regardless of where you live, according to his website. Specifically, Boyd intends to complete the “Drive to 55” initiative, become number one in the southeast for high quality jobs and have zero distressed counties by the year 2025.

Boyd was born and raised in South Knoxville. He graduated from Doyle High School at the age of 16 and attended the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. During college, Boyd worked at his dad’s business to pay for school. At 19, he became the first person in his family to graduate college and did so with honors and no debt.

During his early career, Boyd started two small businesses, traveling Southeast selling door-to-door at feed and hardware stores. Boyd slept in his car or stayed at the best hotels he could find for under $18 a night in order to save money. At 31, Boyd used his $26,000 in life savings and put it toward founding Radio Systems Corporation, while his wife, Jenny, worked as a court reporter with a two-year-old at home.

Boyd took a year-long absence from his company to serve as Haslam’s unpaid advisor on education in 2013. The Drive to 55 initiative and the Tennessee Promise program are direct results of Boyd’s year of service.

For more information Boyd and his campaign, click here.

Edited by Taylor Owens

Featured Image courtesy of Boyd’s Facebook page.