Friends make lasting impacts, and Bradford
Backlund’s best friend influenced him in a way that guided the rest of his
life.
Bradford grew up in southern California and graduated
from Moreno Valley High School. His best friend in high school, Matthew McRae, chose
to attend Southern Utah University and Bradford knew he wanted to go to college
with his friend, so he joined Matthew in Cedar City.
That decision to attend SUU changed his life. Not
only did he earn a degree in marketing in 2006, but he also met his future
wife, Kacy Smith. The couple has been married for 15 years and have two boys,
Talan and Brody.
Today, Bradford is the vice president of sales
for a large insurance brokerage firm in Reno, NV, where his focus is alternative
financing for insurable risks that businesses face. He takes common business
expenses and turns them into profit centers.
“Very unique and I’ve learned that I am pretty
good at it,” he says of his profession. “Not bad for a kid that was a ‘C’
student.”
Bradford loved his experience at SUU. He
particularly enjoyed building relationships with other students. “Those
relationships have proven to be far more tangible than the piece of paper that
hangs on the wall in my office,” he says.
He also worked with amazing professors like Greg
Powell and Derek Snow, and credits them for helping him understand the “why” of
getting a college education and how it would benefit his future. These
incredible professors helped Bradford understand concepts and how to relate them
to the “real world” that he entered after graduation. He still uses those
concepts today.
Besides staying busy with work and family, Bradford
loves volunteering his time with Big Brothers and Big Sisters, as well as Boys
and Girls Club. One of his proudest achievements since graduating from SUU is
the money he has helped raise for Big Brothers and Big Sisters.
Bradford also had a brief run as a child actor
and break dancer. Growing up in southern California, it seemed only natural for
him to have a desire to get into acting. At the age of 11, he found himself an
agent and began auditioning for various roles. He booked several gigs including
Hawaiian Punch and Golden Graham commercials, various sitcoms, and even a movie
with Robin Williams and LL Cool J called Toys. As a break-dancer, he
performed in various shows and danced with some remarkable people.
What advice would Bradford tells future T-Birds?
“Enjoy your time and make a lot of memories,” he says. “SUU is an amazing
school with lots of amazing professors that helped shape my life. It is about
the journey and becoming a better you!”
