NASHVILLE - Former Tennessee Economic Development Commissioner Randy Boyd is running for governor in 2018, joining what is expected to be a crowded race to succeed Republican Gov. Bill Haslam.
"There is not a better time to live and work in Tennessee, but not everyone is sharing in that success," Boyd, a Knoxville businessman, said in formally announcing his bid Monday. "So my campaign will be about expanding opportunities for every Tennessee family and community."
Boyd said that includes better education and job opportunities for people in all areas of Tennessee.
"That's how I've tried to serve in the past, and that is my vision for an even greater, more successful Tennessee," he said.
Boyd, 57, served two years as Haslam's chief jobs recruiter, a post that took him to all of Tennessee's 95 counties. He stepped down on Feb. 1 amid speculation he would run for governor.
In 2013, Boyd joined the Haslam administration as a special adviser to the governor on his Drive to 55 initiative, an effort to boost the number of Tennesseans with post-high school degrees or certificates to 55 percent by 2025.
That resulted in the Tennessee Promise, which offers state lottery-funded last-dollar scholarships to students attending state two-year colleges. The program also provides volunteer mentors to students. Both were modeled on a program Boyd pushed in Knoxville.
Boyd founded the privately held Radio Systems Corp., which manufactures pet-related products, including invisible fences. The company has annual revenues of about $400 million and employs more than 700 people.
He now joins state Sen. Mark Green, R-Clarksville, who announced earlier this year, in a GOP field that is likely to grow.
Other Republicans expected to run, or considering it, include U.S. Rep. Diane Black, R-Tenn.; state House Speaker Beth Harwell, R-Nashville; state Senate Majority Leader Mark Norris; and Franklin businessman Bill Lee. Several are millionaires, as is Boyd.
Boyd has named Chip Saltsman as his campaign's CEO. A former Tennessee Republican Party chairman, Saltsman is no stranger to crowded, hard-fought GOP primary battles, having spearheaded the 2010 campaign of then-political unknown Chuck Fleischmann of Ooltewah in his ultimately successful 3rd Congressional District bid.
Last year, Saltsman ran Republican David Kustoff's successful effort in yet another crowded GOP primary field to win an open West Tennessee seat in the 8th Congressional District.
Boyd's campaign treasurer is Greeneville businessman and philanthropist Scott Niswonger. His senior adviser is Alice Rolli, who was campaign manager for U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., in his re-election.
Boyd earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Tennessee and a master's degree from Oklahoma University. Boyd and his wife, Jenny, have two children.
He is also the owner of two minor league baseball teams: the Johnson City Cardinals and the Tennessee Smokies. He bought the Smokies in 2013 from an ownership group that included Haslam.
In a 2015 interview with the Knoxville Mercury, Boyd described his ideological approach, saying, "I'm probably the most hated, disrespected, un-tolerated political entity in existence. I'm a moderate."
But he recently indicated to The Associated Press in an interview that his self-description had evolved, saying, "I don't generally like labels."
Boyd also told AP he wants to follow the examples of President Ronald Reagan, who often socialized with the Democratic speaker of the House, and the late Senate Majority Leader Howard Baker of Tennessee.
Former Nashville Mayor Karl Dean has announced he is seeking the Democratic gubernatorial nomination. House Minority Leader Craig Fitzhugh, D-Ripley, said he will likely run.
Contact staff writer Andy Sher at asher@timesfreepress.com or 615-255-0550. Follow him on Twitter @AndySher1.