Candidate Details
OK House District: HD 51
Party Affiliation: Republican
Website:
Email:
brad.boles@okhouse.gov
Phone:
(405) 557-7405
Facebook:
Biography
This candidate does not have a Democratic opponent and will therefore serve as the next Representative for this district.
Brad Boles, a lifelong resident of Stephens County, graduated from Marlow High School and attended Eastern Oklahoma State College, where he played baseball, was named an Academic All-American, and graduated with an Associates Degree in Business. He then attended Dallas Baptist University where he played NCAA Division-1 baseball and graduated with a Bachelors Degree in Business. He earned a dual-MBA Degree in Finance & Business Administration graduating with honors and was recognized in the Dallas Business Journal as a Texas MBA All-Star featuring the top MBA graduate students in the state of Texas.
Following college, Boles returned to Marlow and married his college sweetheart, Michelle. He was the 3rd generation of his family business Wilco, and became President of the company in 2008 at the young age of 24. Under his leadership; the business grew from 100 employees up to almost 500 employees which recently resulted in the sale of Wilco to a Fortune 500 publicly traded company in the Spring of 2018 where he now remains as an executive. In 2013, Wilco was recognized by Inc. Magazine as the fastest growing privately owned manufacturing company in Oklahoma and the 30th fastest in the USA. Brad has received numerous awards such as the ASCOG South Central Oklahoma Business Leader of the Year, Eastern Oklahoma State College Young Alumnus of the Year and Marlow Citizen of the Year. Boles is also a co-founder and co-owner of Philtek Services located in Duncan, OK which has grown to a company of 150+ employees in its short 6-year history.
Boles has served in various state leadership roles including Chairman of the Board for the Oklahoma Manufacturing Alliance (2014), State Chamber Board Director, and a Leadership Oklahoma Class 31 member. He has also served his community as President of the Marlow Chamber of Commerce (2012), on the Marlow Public School Board of Education (2013-2014), served 4 years as the Mayor of the city of Marlow (2014-2018). He was elected to the Oklahoma House of Representatives in March 2018 and serves as the Chairman of the County & Municipal Government Committee. Brad is also very active in his church where he serves as an ordained deacon and a Junior-High Sunday school teacher at First Baptist Church Marlow.
Brad and his wife Michelle have been married for 13 years and reside in Marlow and are blessed with 2 children; Kristin (9) and Matthew (7).
Platform Issues
BUDGET
Every Oklahoman knows that our State Budget has room for improvement. As a small business owner and Former Mayor of a city; I understand the importance of balancing a budget and have had to make many tough decisions during the economic downturn to ensure my business and city stayed viable and positioned for future success. I also understand the importance of making calculated investments that reap dividends in the future. My past experiences and MBA in Finance have helped prepare me to better understand and make the tough budget decisions currently facing our state.
EDUCATION
I believe that our children are the greatest asset we have in this state. We need to properly invest in our education system so that our teachers stay in Oklahoma and that we have adequate resources to properly educate our children. We need to give our schools more local control vs. having to comply with the numerous unfunded State and Federal mandates. We must have strong schools in order to have strong communities and ultimately a strong state. In today’s global business market; it’s a necessity to have a very well educated and skilled workforce in order for our state’s employers to compete against companies in surrounding states and countries.
JOBS
As a small business owner; I understand what it takes to create new jobs. In 2013, our company was recognized by Inc. Magazine as the fastest growing private manufacturing company in the State of Oklahoma and the 30th fastest in the USA. If we want to grow our state’s economy; it’s important to elect legislators that have actually helped create jobs vs. just campaigning on the issue. If more legislators understood what it’s like to make a payroll, live within their budgets, and deal with government regulation then they would better understand how to create an atmosphere for economic growth and prosperity. The best path forward for our state is thru sustainable economic growth.
HEALTHCARE
We have lost too many Oklahoma rural hospitals, nursing homes & assisted living centers over the past few years due to state budget cuts. We need to properly fund these very important facilities so that rural Oklahomans continue to have immediate access to rural healthcare. We also need to insure that our elderly rural Oklahomans in nursing homes and assisted living centers have a place to stay locally surrounded by their family versus having to relocate to the metro areas.