Zach Mecham is an Iowa native who has managed to build a successful business, become an award-winning filmmaker, and travel the Midwest as a speaker and entertainer. He does all of this while navigating the world from his motorized wheelchair, and a super sexy minivan he calls “the swag wagon.” While Zach takes pride in where he is now, he’s committed to never forgetting where he came from. When he was 8, he lost his father to complications caused by drug abuse. His mom and stepfather were arrested a year later for drug abuse as well. After a year in a women’s correctional facility, his mom regained custody of him and his brothers and began rebuilding her life piece by piece. She is now a team leader at a mental health nonprofit.  This experience taught Zach that making something of yourself, in spite of the odds against you, is possible. But only with tenacity, hard work, and support. While his mom worked incredibly hard, supporting 5 boys was only possible with Medicaid, food stamps, and a village of people in her corner. Zach wouldn’t be where he is today without these lessons or that support. When Zach went to college at Drake University, he couldn’t afford tuition and refused to take out high-interest loans, so he worked closely with the financial aid department to come up with a plan, relentlessly sought out scholarships and grants, and worked as an IT support specialist to pay a significant portion of his tuition out of pocket. During that time, he also had to rely on survivor’s benefits, because work alone wasn’t enough.  He then went on to work in communications and outreach for nonprofits like The Harkin Institute and Disability Rights Iowa, connecting students and Iowans with Disabilities to opportunities and support. After, he built Zach of All Trades Media, the business that allowed him to buy a house and a modified van.  Zach’s goal is to make the kind of success he’s experienced possible for as many people as he can. He wants to make sure that Iowans have access to the support structures and opportunities they need to thrive. He has done this through his work as a disability advocate and nonprofit professional. Now he wants to do it as an Iowa Senator.