Tommy Ahlquist: Idaho Advocate

ALL PHOTOS COURTESY OF BVA

BY KAREN DAY

Eighty-two years have passed since Jimmy Stewart faced down the American political machine as an impassioned, naïve senator in Frank Capra’s classic, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. Interviewing Tommy Ahlquist brings to mind the film and how his life offers a good plotline for a modern-day sequel. Middle-aged, wizened-yet-tarnished by reality, the altruistic main character finds future success as a doctor, businessman, husband, father, and grandfather, evolving beyond disillusionment into a faith-bound, community leader—which also sounds a lot like the sequel to It’s a Wonderful Life. Either way, in the movie version, the good guy never loses. Nor does he suffer two neardeath heart failures before he is 53.

Looking at Ahlquist today, he appears anything but compromised by a congenital heart condition or his loss in Idaho’s 2018 gubernatorial race. Fit, tan, and 6 feet 4 inches tall, he leans back in his office chair with hands behind his head, legs outstretched, offering contemplative and articulate explanations of an array of subjects, including emergency medicine, Idaho’s far-right legislative war cries, his last thoughts facing death, and a stinging political defeat. “Looking back, I wouldn’t do it again,” Ahlquist says without hesitation when asked about running for governor. “Once I saw the underbelly of politics even in this small state, and the personal toll on my family…” Ahlquist pauses, staring out the window as if he is watching his past play out like a baseball game in the large open fields beyond the sprawling Ball Ventures Ahlquist (BVA) office complex along I-84 in Meridian. “That said, those two years of campaigning were probably one of the greatest experiences of my life,” he continues. “The friendships I made all over the state, the personal growth, taking that risk, losing—without those experiences I would be a different person. For all that, I’m grateful.”

Grateful is a word Ahlquist uses often, but not blithely. Born and raised in a small mining town in Utah, he escaped the predictable fate of working in the Kennecott copper mines by playing basketball, which led him to Idaho and becoming the first in his family to attend college. “All my relatives worked in the mines, including my dad. I always wanted to be a doctor. To make a difference, like our town physician, Dr. Knowles. He had a noble position. He helped people, passed out lollipops, and drove a nice car. So, as soon as my residency was over, I came back to the Treasure Valley and went into emergency medicine, because I’m a fixer.”

As Ahlquist explains it, after attending to more than 40,000 patients, being ‘a fixer’ also led him to run for governor. “I was serving on a coalition of business leaders and could see that Idaho had big problems,” he says. “Healthcare gaps, falling literacy rates, low wages, lack of broadband—I had the means, saw solutions, and figured becoming the CEO of the state was the best way to fix these problems. But again, there was so much I didn’t know. It was humbling.”

The time spent knocking on rural doors also informed Ahlquist’s understanding of Idaho’s far-right swing in the legislature. “Idaho is mostly populated by good, hardworking, underpaid, rural people who are deeply affected by issues about the Forest Service, water, and wolves. Those representatives who appear out of touch to us here in Ada County are really very savvy about what matters to their constituents.”

Ironically, political failure has led Ahlquist to greater business success in his new development partnership. BVA started just three years ago and despite COVID, has built more than two million square feet of commercial space, with 18 current projects in the Treasure Valley.

Idaho is mostly populated by good, hardworking, underpaid, rural people that are deeply affected by issues about the forest service, water and wolves.

Considering Idaho’s sudden and exponential growth and skyrocketing real estate values, Ahlquist has also been accused of being a capitalistic opportunist contributing to the escalating cost of living for struggling Idahoans. He readily admits his business passion and drive, but not without explaining how the company’s success leads to economic growth that attracts companies that pay higher salaries. He also explains, as a Mormon, that giving back to the community is at the heart of his faith. All executives are required to serve on nonprofit boards that benefit Idahoans. The BVA Chief of Staff spends 95% of his time managing the company’s nonprofit objectives. When COVID hit Idaho, Ahlquist mobilized the most powerful business leaders and formed the non-profit, CRUSH THE CURVE. Operationally within a week, the organization facilitated public testing, publicized virus facts and safety protocols and stepped ahead of governmental bureaucracy to offer vaccinations asap. Ahlquist also leads an innovative “Teens to Trades” mentorship program and serves as co-chair of the Campaign to End Family Homelessness in Idaho, accepting the task to help raise eight million dollars to build affordable housing. “There are 1,500 homeless kids just in the Nampa school district,“ says Ahlquist, shaking his head. “That’s unacceptable and we intend to fix it.”

The verb “fix” keeps echoing through his comments, but one thing the good doctor admits he can’t fix is his congenital heart condition. Near-death complications have shoved him onto the emergency operating table twice in the last two years. “The second time was a year ago in July,” says Ahlquist. “I felt chest pains, went to the ER, saw my EKG, and knew I was in trouble. On the chopper ride to Boise, I remember feeling no fear. Only gratitude. That’s because my first attack the year before forced me to reevaluate my life and priorities. So, I’d spent much of the past 12 months at my ranch in McCall, with my family, my dogs, my horses, and fishing. I was at peace. I’d done my best to help people, as a doctor, through my church, and my business. I truly believed I was going to die. And then, I woke up in the St. Luke’s COVID ICU.”

Considering the growing list of BVA development projects and Ahlquist’s nonprofit leadership goals, facing mortality has not slowed his pace. “We’re going to do great things for Idaho in the next 20 years,” he says. “What more could I ask from life?”

That’s a true Hollywood ending.