I’m Kevin McKinley, Candidate for State House District 35.   Raised in Kotzebue, I know the grit it takes to survive Alaska.  As a young man, I took that same grit and determination and began my entrepreneurial career by selling comic books when I was 9 years old; at the age of 27, I started Body Piercing Unlimited. As businesses do, some fail and some succeed, I’m very humble in saying the company I built over 30 years ago has continued to flourish not only in Fairbanks but across our great state.

My partner, Beth, and I have lived in Fairbanks for over 20 years. We enjoy spending as much time as we can with Beth’s two daughters and their husbands, and our five wonderful grandchildren. With our remaining free time we can be found exploring the vast outdoors Fairbanks has to offer with our beloved four-legged kids.

Our commitment to the community has been seen through our work with the Al Aska Shrine, giving me the unique opportunity to meet Shriners from Alaska and other states and having the bigger opportunity to host international guests in our beautiful state as our representative. A project dear to us has been working closely with Vested Interest in K9s which assists state and local law enforcement agencies nationwide with paying for bullet- and stab-protective vests for working law enforcement K9s.  We are thrilled to have been able to assist in the purchase of well over 30 vests for local and statewide law enforcement agencies.    

My true belief lies in this: Entrepreneurship with the opportunity for diverse business models is what Alaska and Fairbanks need to be successful in building this framework.  

We have the opportunity to create anchors for the local tax-paying population and to flourish local economies.    

We embrace a rich but unique culture here in Fairbanks and I truly believe that to create a future for not only my family but for the families of the district we must start with true Alaskan grit and determination.