Our city is moving in the wrong direction, but it’s not too late to turn it around. I can no longer sit on the sidelines, it’s time to do something. It’s time to offer voters an alternative to policy-making that doesn't consider the working middle class. 

I was born in Minneapolis in 1963 and grew up in the Twin Cities. My parents, Lloyd and Sally Hilborn, worked hard—dad worked on the assembly line as a UAW member at the Saint Paul Ford plant, and mom soldered circuit boards at Control Data. They instilled in me a strong work ethic and values of fairness, integrity, and perseverance—principles I now pass on to my own family.

As a child, my dad taught me the art of sales, taking me door-to-door to sell candy for the summer Athletic Club fundraiser. We worked late into the evening after he returned home from work, and I quickly learned the value of persistence. My brother Mark and I had a paper route, waking up at 5:00 AM to ensure the newspapers were delivered on time. I was also a Boy Scout, and thanks to my parents' encouragement, I earned my Eagle Scout rank by age 13. I graduated high school in 1981, and my family attended Wooddale Church. Today, I am a member of River Valley Church.

I attended Bethel University, graduating in 1985. To pay for school, I worked nights at UPS and was promoted to full-time management that same year. I raised my three sons in Saint Paul, and today they are 36, 34, and 32. My oldest has a family of his own, my middle son served four years in the U.S. Army and now lives in Rapid City, South Dakota, and my youngest, a software engineer, is married and lives in Sacramento, California.

In 1995, I launched a small business out of my garage in Saint Paul, which grew enough for me to leave UPS in 2000 and run it full-time. For the past 30 years, my company has operated in Saint Paul, growing to 45 employees who power wash in warm months and plow snow in the winter. We are a second-chance employer, hiring people who have been incarcerated or are in recovery. Our employees start at $25 an hour and receive benefits like health and dental insurance, 401K, and paid time off. Both my business and my home are in Saint Paul.

Beyond my business, I serve on the Board of Directors for AccessAbility, Inc., helping individuals with disabilities and other challenges find meaningful jobs. I also speak at Minnesota Adult and Teen Challenge, assisting those overcoming addiction, and work with Volunteers of America (VOA) to support individuals rebuilding their lives.