Helmut Martinez Kohler was born in the cultural hotbed of Los Angeles, California. His parents come from varied backgrounds, his father is a German immigrant, and his mother is of British and Hispanic decent—both of humble means. He was raised in the L.A. suburbs, where he attended grade school. Helmut is the youngest of five siblings. Currently a student of Treasure Valley Community College and Boise State University with a Major study in Geosciences (with a focus on energy research and resource exploration) and a Minor in Economics, Helmut understands the importance of a good education—in addition to life experience.

While still in high school, Helmut became a member a championship winning NASCAR pit crew. During his senior year of high school, Helmut started a small business, doing graphic designs for NASCAR teams. He parlayed that into a graphics and marketing firm, which specialized in commercial imaging and design.

After high school, Helmut went to work for a fleet maintenance company. He worked his was up from shuffling papers to manage the multimillion dollar company. In a five year period under his guidance, the company’s sales nearly tripled.

In 2003, Helmut formed a motorcycle road race team and obtained factory-supported dealer sponsorships. He rode professionally until 2008, scoring multiple race wins and top-five finishes in the amateur and expert ranks respectively.

Last year, upon visiting his parents, who moved to the Treasure Valley after retirement, Helmut found his father’s health to be in a state of decline. He immediately closed his business in Southern California and moved to Idaho to spend as much time with his father as possible. Upon moving to the area, Helmut immediately fell in love with Caldwell and decided he wanted to make this his home.

After going to work for a company that specializes in green construction and energy efficiency technologies, Helmut was project manager for various jobs that involved the City of Caldwell. In working with the city and seeing how the administration operates, Helmut came to see that the tremendous potential of Caldwell was being held back by lack of foresight and follow-through. Helmut began talking to residents and business leaders, who echoed the same issues that he saw. He decided the best way he could make a positive difference in Caldwell was to run for Mayor and give the citizens a choice for their city’s direction—for the first time in over a decade.

>Helmut is a member of: Phi Theta Kappa – International Honor Society, Sigma Alpha Pi – National Society of Leadership & Success, the U.S. Green Building Council, the Geological Society of America, and the Caldwell Chamber of Commerce.