A husband, father, and small business owner, Matthew Bierlein is a conservative Republican. With experience in manufacturing, he first entered into a life of service to his community as a member of the Tuscola County Board of Commissioners for 6 years, serving as the Vice-Chair and co-Chair of the finance committee. While being a commissioner, he served as President of the Michigan Association of Counties and was on the board of directors of the National Association of County officers. Most recently working for State Senator Kevin Daley as his in-district director, Matthew worked tirelessly meeting the needs of constituents. Service-driven and experienced, he has the passion and drive to now take the concerns of the region to Lansing in efforts to continue to fight for the future of generations to come.
Service
Service has always been the driving aspect of my life. Growing up, I wanted to serve in the military. My great-grandfather served in World War II, my grandfather in Korea, my stepfather was in the Army before spending 32 years in law enforcement, and my two older brothers were in the Army and would eventually retire. It was what my family did, and what I wanted to do for as long as I could remember. In the spring of 2001 I enlisted in the Air Force but was denied during my physical because of a congenital heart defect. Later that year after the events of 9-11, I wanted even more to serve my country. I wrote letters to my congressman and senators begging them to help me serve, and one of them wrote an appeal on my behalf. I underwent numerous extra tests, saw specialists, and was given a clean bill of health and letter of recommendation by an outside physician only to still be rejected by the Military in the end. With my faith in God leading me to believe that He always has a purpose and knows the plans for us, it was this experience that drove me to find other ways to be a servant in my life.
"As a native to Tuscola County, I have loved this area from the very beginning. This love has led me to continue to make my roots here and work tirelessly to make this region strive. It is now my passion to continue to take the concerns of our communities to Lansing as your State Representative to further assist in keeping families, like mine, together - growing in the area - that this might be where they also strive to raise their families for generations to come."
— Matthew Bierlein, Republican Candidate for State Representative, 97th District
Family
I have been married since 2010 to Dr. Mindy Bierlein, DPT, and we have three wonderful children, Matthew James (9), Madison (7), and Maddox (5). Our family enjoys spending time together outside in either our garden, the woods around our homestead, or with our animals. We have an ever-growing flock of chickens, our dog Stryker, and seasonally hogs. We moved from the City of Vassar to our current home in 2016 so we could keep animals and a garden as a way to teach our children the responsibility that comes from having a small farm and the value of hard work. Together, we also own and operate Renue Physical Therapy Frankenmuth and Bridgeport clinics, outpatient physical therapy facilities, serving all diagnoses for clients from infancy to the elderly, with my wife being the chief physical therapist. We are members of St. Lorenz Lutheran Church were I serve on the Commission for Christian Education and Mindy sings and teaches liturgical dance with the Girls of Grace Dance Ministry.
Education and Experience
I am a graduate of Vassar High School, Delta College, and in 2013 Spring Arbor University with a Bachelor's of Science in Organizational Management. I have spent my working career in manufacturing environments as a machine operator, purchasing manager, engineering technician, and production manager.
I was a Tuscola County Commissioner from 2013 to 2019 where I was the Vice-Chair of the board and co-Chair of the finance committee. I also served on the board of directors / executive committees for the Great Start Collaborative, Human Development Commission, Human Services Coordinating Council, Local Emergency Planning Committee / All Hazards, Recycling Advisory Committee, and GST Miworks.
While a commissioner I served as President of the Michigan Association of Counties and was on the board of directors for the National Association of County officers. In addition to those leadership roles, I helped develop policy positions for both associations by serving on the Judiciary and Public Safety steering committee and Agriculture and Tourism steering committee for MAC and the Agriculture and Rural Development steering committee for NACo. Since 2019 I have served on the State Advisory Council for Michigan State University Extension and AgBioResearch, educating others on the vital on-going research necessary to agricultural development in our great State. I have also served on the McLaren Caro Region Foundation Board for the past three years, working to ensure quality healthcare is available in our rural areas.
Over the last three years, I have worked as the In-District Director for Senator Kevin Daley. While early on I worked to hear the needs of community members, businesses, and service groups, the Covid-19 pandemic quickly changed to meeting the immediate needs of individual constituents as they struggled each day with unemployment, the Secretary of State, and closed schools. Being a small business owner with my wife, we witnessed firsthand the restrictions imposed by the Governor and her agencies. While we are fortunate to still be open, too many of our communities’ small businesses were forced to close their doors permanently as a result of these heavy handed policies. It is through these circumstances as well as wishing to make things best for my family and others, that I have made the decision to enter this election in the 97th district.