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Don't talk,
just do.
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That was written on the sticky note on Billy Webster’s mother’s refrigerator. It was a daily reminder – and has become the lesson that has guided Billy through every chapter of his life.
Meet Billy Webster
Billy grew up in Greenville and learned the value of hard work early. He pumped gas at his family’s gas stations, learning how to treat employees like family, and run a business that puts people first. He attended Christ Church Episcopal School in Greenville, ran a laundry business while at Washington and Lee University, and returned home after getting his law degree, working for his family’s Bojangles franchise business, breading chicken on the 4 AM shift. He took a handful of Bojangles restaurants in Columbia and grew them to 24, because he believed in the product — the best fried chicken anyone could buy — and he believed in outworking everybody else to prove it. But Billy didn’t just build businesses — he invested in the communities they served. He ran voter registration drives out of his Bojangles restaurants because he knew that if a community supported your business, you owed something back.
That sense of service to others was called upon again when Billy was awarded a White House Fellowship to work for President George H.W. Bush. He spent four years in DC, continuing into the Clinton Administration, working for former SC Governor Dick Riley as Chief of Staff at the Department of Education. He also ran scheduling and advance for the President — working with the military, U.S. Secret Service, local police and White House Communications to help the President to visit some of the most dangerous environments in the world.
That sense of service to others was called upon again when Billy was awarded a White House Fellowship to work for President George H.W. Bush. He spent four years in DC, continuing into the Clinton Administration, working for former SC Governor Dick Riley as Chief of Staff at the Department of Education. He also ran scheduling and advance for the President — working with the military, U.S. Secret Service, local police, and White House Communications to help the President to visit some of the most dangerous environments in the world.
When Billy returned home, he took a job behind the counter at a small business that helped families struggling to make ends meet and facing large bank fees for small missed payments. He eventually co-founded Advance America to give those families a cheaper, more transparent alternative. The company grew to over two thousand locations and thousands of employees because it solved a real problem for working families. Billy fought to get the industry regulated, passing consumer protection laws in thirty states, because he believed that if you’re going to be in business, you do it the right way.
But when his wife was diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer, Billy walked away from the company to take care of her and their four young children.
That experience changed Billy and his family— and it’s one of the reasons he’s running for Governor.
He has seen firsthand how broken our healthcare system is. When his wife was diagnosed with an aggressive breast cancer, the family chose to seek care elsewhere. Once again, Billy and his family set out to fix what was broken — because he believes every family should have access to the best care in South Carolina. After his wife’s courageous struggle and successful recovery, his family helped build the Bearden-Josey Center for Breast Health — one of the first multidisciplinary cancer clinics in the state.
But healthcare isn’t the only thing that’s broken in South Carolina. Hundreds of miles of our roads and countless bridges have failed inspection. Families are driving their kids to school on infrastructure that isn’t safe. We’ve added a million people to this state in the last 15 years, and we’re about to add a million more — but we haven’t built the roads, the water or sewer systems, or schools to support them. We’ve watched as farmers across the state are getting pushed out by international conglomerates buying up farmland, destroying family-owned local businesses. Data centers are moving in without community input, taking up open space with little benefit to the people who live there. Our clean water, breathtaking landscapes, and the places we boat, fish, hike, walk, and hunt in South Carolina are all at risk.
It is all making life more expensive for every family, and our leaders are just watching it happen. Simply put – there is too much talking and not enough doing. That ends now.
Throughout his career, Billy has started businesses, fixed hard things, and helped people. He’s running for Governor to do the same – bring down the cost of living and improve the quality of life of every South Carolinian. Billy believes these are not Democratic or Republican issues – they matter to every family and are every leader’s responsibility to solve.
Billy will fix our infrastructure, protect the unique spaces that make this state great, and stand up for the farmers and families who are getting squeezed out. He will increase access to affordable and quality healthcare, take on insurance companies putting profit over patients, and ensure every rural community has access to the care they deserve. He will make sure every student in South Carolina gets the education they deserve — not the “minimally adequate” education our state constitution promises, but a real one. Billy and his wife, Teresa, a public-school teacher of twenty years, believe that every child in this state deserves a great school, no matter their zip code.
Billy isn’t a politician and he won’t run for any other office. He’s an independent-minded businessman who has spent his entire career walking into hard situations and solving problems.
He’s running to be your Governor, to break what needs breaking, to fix what needs fixing, and to make South Carolina a state that works for every family.
His mother’s sticky note said it all: “Don’t talk. Just do.” Too many politicians in South Carolina only talk. They never do. That’s exactly what Billy will change.
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By providing your mobile number, you consent to receive periodic campaign updates from this organization. Txt HELP for help, STOP to end. Msg & Data rates may apply.