Kevin Hern, U.S. Representative, Oklahoma (1st District)

Born on an Air Force Base, Kevin gained an early appreciation for the sacrifices that military families make. In high school, Kevin earned an Architectural Drafting Certificate at a Career Technology school, which he used to work and pay for his Engineering degree. Later in life, he earned his MBA.

After undergrad, Kevin went on to work as an Aerospace Engineer for Rockwell International. When the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster rocked the aerospace industry, Kevin was out of work.

He began pursuing an opportunity to become a McDonald’s franchisee. He began saving to purchase his first McDonald’s Restaurant by starting and operating small business ventures: writing computer programs to automate tasks for businesses, real estate, and even hog farming.

He worked in various management roles for a franchisee for 10 years prior to buying his first restaurant.

In 1997, Kevin literally sold the farm to buy his first McDonald’s restaurant in North Little Rock, Arkansas. In 1999, he purchased two McDonald’s restaurants in Muskogee, Oklahoma, moving his family to Oklahoma. He grew that organization over the next decade; eventually owning 24 McDonald’s restaurants that employed thousands of people in Northeastern Oklahoma.

Kevin has worked across every aisle, serving in various leadership positions within the McDonald’s system – what he dubs the most grassroots business in the world. Kevin served 6 years on various regional and divisional leadership roles. He served 13 years on the National Leadership Team – eight years as the Chairman of the Franchise Relations Team, and five years as the Chairman of the Systems Economic Team.

In addition to McDonald’s, Kevin has been a very successful entrepreneur in the areas of banking, manufacturing, real estate development, multiple technology companies, and sports publishing.

He and his wife Tammy own Custom Seating and Interiors in Oklahoma that is a major supplier of seating and décor to the quick service restaurant industry.

He uses his vast experiences to help aspiring entrepreneurs create new businesses so they can pursue their American Dream.

Kevin Hern was sworn into Congress on November 13th, 2018. He serves on the House Committee on Ways and Means, one of the oldest standing committees in Congress, and chairs the conservative Republican Study Committee, the largest caucus on Capitol Hill.