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Lake Geneva business owner, soldier running for lieutenant governor

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Ben Collins
Age:
Address: N1699 Willowbrook Road, Lake Geneva.
Family: Wife, Jamie Forbeck Collins, who is on the board of directors of the William Guy Forbeck Research Foundation, which her family founded in 1984 to promote advances in cancer research, and daughter Addison, 8 months.
Job: Co-owner and co-founder of Aptus, a defense technology and software company.
Education: Bachelor’s degree in political science from George Washington University, Washington, D.C.
Community service: Member of the U.S. National Guard, Rotary International, American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars.
Elected posts: None.

LAKE GENEVA — Ben Collins believes the state lacks a true leader—someone who knows how to set goals and achieve results with a singular goal of improving life for people in Wisconsin.

“There’s almost a contract that exists. Soldiers have a responsibility to protect this country and its freedoms … and so do our elected officials; they take the same oath … to support and defend the Constitution,” he said. “But they’re not holding up their part of the deal. … Everything stems from leadership: who is setting goals, who is achieving results … and I see a real lack of that in Wisconsin.”

Collins, 32, a Green Beret combat officer and small business owner is running for lieutenant governor. He moved to Lake Geneva from North Carolina more than a year ago after nine years of active duty with the Army, including three tours in Afghanistan.

He said he was so disappointed with the state of the state and the country that he felt obligated to run for elected office—even if he is only starting to establish roots here.

“I don’t think we have a lot of elected officials who understand the gravity of the responsibility they have,” he said. “I don’t care how long I’ve lived here; I can’t sit on the sidelines and not stand up and fight.”

Collins said although the lieutenant governor has little efficacy, the person in that position still is a leader in state government. He said he could have run for state Assembly or Senate, but he believes he would not be using his skills effectively in a legislative position.

“I would be frustrated by measuring success by moving the glass forward an inch or stopping the other guys from moving it forward,” he said. “I’m good at setting a goal and a vision and achieving results.”

Collins is running as a Republican. He said he would focus on creating a better business climate in an effort to create jobs and rebuild the state economy.