Jason Beck describes himself as a Christian conservative, but long before entering the Peoria mayoral race, he characterized himself as a calloused kid who liked to fight. Beck tried college, but said it wasn't for him. He joined the Marine Corps Reserve in , but didn't see it as a career path.
After three years, Beck said he took an option to cut his contract short. Instead, he found a career in fighting, returning to the mixed-martial arts he'd practiced as a kid. By , he launched a company selling tactical gear, then sold it seven years later, he said.
He would open a similar business in Peoria in Beck's Tyr Tactical quietly grew into one of Peoria's largest private employers with more than workers in a shop near Loop and Olive Avenue. The company makes products such as bulletproof vests and shields for police departments across the country and military forces around the globe.
Peoria, like many cities, seeks high-wage employers, and Beck campaigns on his experience growing a business. At his company, he offers a full slate of health benefits and a free onsite medical clinic, but some of his employees qualify for state-funded health insurance.
There are mixed reviews of the work culture. Beck and his company gained the political spotlight when then-Vice President Mike Pence toured the facility and campaigned there for Donald Trump in Two years later, Beck is making his first run for political office with the support of Republican politicians from U.
