To truly understand the man that he is today, you must understand the triumphs and tragedies, the mountains he’s climbed and the valleys he’s walked.
Kelly Cooper was born in Idaho Falls, Idaho to a hardworking mom and a Navy dad. As is all too common these days, his mom and dad divorced when he was five years old. Like many children of divorce, this single act changed the direction of his life. From that time on, his mother became the sole breadwinner for him and his sister. The young family moved to the Chicago area and his mother worked two and sometimes three jobs to keep food on the table. They were forced to frequently move from place to place and often lived in rundown neighborhoods. Although struggling to raise two young children, Kelly’s mom managed to move them into a decent school district. She knew that education would be a key to her children’s future and success in life.
Even at a young age, Kelly learned that sacrifice, though hard, produced good things. His mom’s sacrifice and dedication to her kids helped shape Kelly and make him the man he is today. Watching his mom struggle was painful but it forged in Kelly a determination that would later be crucial to his success.
Halfway through his freshman year of high school, Kelly’s life would again be disrupted when he went to live with his dad. While living with his dad, he learned about discipline, structure, and focus. These lessons, which he picked up quickly, led to a high GPA. Although these lessons changed his life, he ultimately chose to move back home with his mom and sister. Once again, Kelly’s life was impacted, and he gained perspective that would drive him into the next chapter of his life.
After graduating from high school, Kelly joined the United States Marine Corps in 1993. While on alpha increment air alert with 1st Battalion 2nd Marines, his non-combat unit deployed to Cuba. He was also deployed to Okinawa, Japan, and South Korea. In 1996, with 2nd Battalion 2nd Marines, he served on the LST USS La Moure County (LST-1194) during UNITAS 96. This was a South American tour and relations mission.
After his honorable discharge from the Marines, Kelly began his transition back into civilian life, but he did not go empty handed. While in the Marines, he adopted its motto of Semper fidelis, which is Latin for "always faithful" or "always loyal" and learned the power of working with others to accomplish a common mission. Today, most are familiar with the Marines’ shortened motto of “Semper Fi,” but we all know there is nothing like a Marine on a mission.
After the Marines, Kelly became a bartender at TGI Friday’s. True to the Marine competitive spirit, he even competed in “flair” competitions. Think Tom Cruise in the movie Cocktail. The leadership skills he acquired in the Marines quickly led to a promotion into management at one of his next restaurant jobs. While there, he ended up opening and managing several restaurants in the Midwest and on the East Coast. During this time, Kelly picked up valuable managerial, employee relations and people skills.
In 2003, Kelly relocated to Chandler, AZ where he continued to grow in the restaurant business. While working in this industry, he learned every job from dishwasher to bartender and from waiter to manager. Kelly gained valuable perspective in each of these positions as he began to understand what it takes to earn a living, to serve the needs of a diverse group of employees and to solve real-world problems.
Through hard work, dedication and good old fashioned sweat equity, Kelly earned the opportunity to become a Melting Pot restaurant franchise partner. He went from the bottom of the food chain to owning his own restaurant, not by having it handed to him but rather by demonstrating the same hard-fought sacrifice that he saw his mom demonstrate as a young man.
Today, he is the owner of not one, not two but three restaurants. He owns two Melting Pot franchises and BKD’s Backyard Joint in Chandler - his own restaurant concept. The lessons he learned in the Marines can now be seen in how he runs each of the restaurants, cares for each employee and plans for the next venture.
Never one to avoid service to others, Kelly is a dedicated community leader and is the founder of the Maricopa County Republican Veterans Club. He actively partners with diverse community groups and fundraises through his businesses. This connection to the community has helped him identify and meet community needs. Always looking to make a difference, he often shares those community needs with state legislators as well as federal Senators and Congress people for action. Despite all of these things, his number one priority is to his wife and two amazing children and to the never-ending quest to leave the world a better place than he found it.
Through the peaks and valleys of his life, Kelly always tried to do what was right but not always what was easy. He became the Marine veteran, a local business owner and community leader he is today because of, not in spite of, his life. Never one to run from hard things, he is ready to take on the tough issues America faces. He believes in the American Dream, that it isn’t finite and that it can’t be taken away by migrants. He believes in the power of personal drive and that America is worth fighting for.
