Randy Boyd, republican candidate for governor, visited Claiborne County on his 95 county bus tour across Tennessee. He set up at The Break Room along TN 33 in Tazewell as members of the community gathered under a tent to hear him speak.

During the event, Boyd — who is the founder of Radio Systems Corporation — spoke on both his experience as a business owner and the reasons why he is running for office. He said he is running to promote better opportunity for Tennessee — opportunity for better education, opportunity for better jobs and opportunity for entrepreneurs.

“When you go to Johnson County, when you go to Hancock County…so many places across our state there’s not a technical school within an hour’s drive. We have a lot of kids that don’t have the transportation or the means to get to their schools,” said Boyd.

“We talk to businesses across our state. They are desperate for people with those skills we used to teach in shop. Welding, woodworking, masonry — that’s what companies are looking for. That’s what we need to be able to provide.”

One thing Boyd said he would do is build satellite campuses on their high schools in the aforementioned counties, so every kid can earn their certificates and obtain a job-ready skill set. Another objective for the governor candidate is to make Tennessee the best state for high quality jobs.

“We’re going to be able to continue to bring jobs, (and) we’re going to be able to continue helping our existing businesses grow,” said Boyd. “The second big thing I want to focus on is helping small businesses because small business is the backbone of our state. We want to make sure that we’re making this the best state in the country for small business.”

One of Boyd’s last point was opportunity for everyone in the state.

“We have to make sure other places across our state that have been left behind have the opportunity to be successful as well,” said Boyd. “Places like Hancock County. They need a technical school. They need to have broadband.

“There is a strategy for each county. We just got to make sure it’s a focus. I can tell you whoever we elect as the next governor, Nashville is probably going to be fine. Knoxville is probably going to be fine. We need a governor who is going to be fighting for Claiborne County and Hancock County and Scott County and our rural counties that have been struggling over these last couple of decades.”

Boyd’s bus tour continued throughout the remainder of the day Monday with scheduled stops in Hancock County, Hawkins County, Sullivan County and Washington County.