Do the Right Thing

Dave Wallace’s  father  always  told  him  to  do  the right thing— “No  matter how hard it is, do the right thing.”

Dave, a small business owner, husband, and father of three, has spent his life trying to do just that, including using the profits from his business to promote the message of liberty.

“I’ve  always loved freedom,” Dave said.


From the time he was a youngster, growing up in a “postage-stamp-sized yard” in Maryland, he realized the importance of liberty.     

“I would play with my ball in the yard, and if it ever went over the fence into my neighbor’s yard, the neighbor would yell, ‘Don’t you touch that ball; it’s in my yard now.  You’ll get it back when I’m ready to give it back.’” Dave was thrilled to move to another house without fear of the menacing neighbor.    

This life experience reminds him of the type of government that he fights today as an adult.          

Dave graduated from college with a degree in biology, but went in a different direction when he decided to open his own small business selling cabinets.   

Soon, Dave began to invest the money that his business made in  a conservative radio talk show and  a foundation called Restore America's Mission.

Dave, a tea party leader in his area, founded both projects, and has since extended Restore America’s Mission to a website that provides conservative news. 

Dave has also dedicated his time to grassroots efforts for Ron Paul’s presidential campaign, on a U.S. Senate race, and even ran for Congress himself. His drive to promote economic freedom doesn’t end on the campaign trail.

He promotes freedom in his small business, Chesapeake Kitchen Wholesalers.  

When asked how he ran for Congress while managing his business, Dave credited his employees, whose productivity is a by-product of the freedom they are given.

“It’s all about setting up protocol…That way, anyone who steps into the position can do the job. Then, that person can use his own talents to better the job.”    

In order for employees to flourish and grow, they must be given freedom. The same is true for American citizens.

In the fight for freedom, Dave's advice to other conservative activists is to "talk to the heart. Value the person that you're speaking to and realize that nothing is more important than the person that you've got in front of you. Treat them with respect."

Dave credits his Leadership Institute communications training with helping him.

"LI's communications training helps you become successful. I came because I'm a conservative and want to advance the conservative message in my community," Dave said.

Dave has taken 10 Leadership Institute trainings, ranging from the Public Speaking Workshop, fundraising training, Future Candidate School, to the Written Communications Workshop.

Sign up here for one of LI's upcoming communications trainings, including the Public Speaking Workshop being held on Thursday, October 16 at LI's offices in Arlington, Virginia.

Please congratulate Dave Wallace on his work in the conservative movement in Maryland, and please applaud him for receiving LI's Conservative Leader-In-Training Award.

To nominate a Leadership Institute graduate or faculty member for the Conservative Leader Award or Conservative Leader-In-Training Award, please contact LI's Director of External Affairs Lauren Day at Lauren@LeadershipInstitute.org