Get to know your State Representative
Briar presenting to a panel
on affordable housing about
the success of Bearss Residential.
Briar (bottom center) with his father and twin brother.
Briar is the oldest of Roger and Ronna Bearss’ three children – and was born at Marquette General Hospital.During his childhood, the Bearss family moved often throughout the state of Michigan, living everywhere from the Upper Peninsula to the Thumb. They eventually settled between Millington and Frankenmuth – where Briar and his siblings received the sacrament of baptism at St. Lorenz Lutheran Church.
Briar was drawn towards a life of service from a young age. In the third grade he applied to the Air Force Academy on a shared classroom computer. This was only discovered after a recruiter called the family home requesting to speak with Briar. His mother asked, “Do you know he’s eight years old?” The recruiter replied, “Oh, well tell him to call back in ten years.
As a teen, Briar developed natural leadership ability. He was elected President of his High School class, and captain of both the football and basketball team. Like hundreds of our region’s youth, Briar spent his summers working the local farms with his teammates, building a foundation in both athletic conditioning and our local work ethic. As a Senior, he was nominated to attend the U.S. Military Academy at West Point by Michigan’s 8th Congressional District. After graduating as Salutatorian from Millington High School and accepting an offer to join the Army Football team, Briar entered active duty service at West Point, New York, in July of 2018.
While at the Academy, Briar continued to lead among America’s best and brightest. He excelled in West Point’s rigorous engineering coursework as well as military training in the Summer months. Outside of the classroom he was a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the Army Football team, winning the Armed Forces Bowl against Houston in 2018 and Missouri in 2021.
When the cadets returned home during the COVID-19 pandemic, Briar, his twin brother, and their childhood best friend started Bearss Residential. Their concept was simple: purchase neglected and abandoned properties that stained the community, improve the properties and their surrounding neighborhoods, then offer it as an affordable home to Veterans and low-income families in need. Following years of growth and balancing active-duty service and hometown entrepreneurship, Bearss Residential now provides affordable housing opportunities to hundreds of low-income Veterans and families through local, state, and federal partnerships.Under Briar’s leadership, the company attracted significant private investment to our state at scale, targeting a region that had not experienced such investment in over 50 years. Briar will attract this same economic growth as our State Representative.
Briar as a Cadet @ the U.S Military Academy – West Point.
Briar graduated from West Point in May of 2022 and commissioned as an Officer in the U.S. Army. He was assigned to Fort Bliss, Texas and immediately deployed to Eastern Europe in response to the Russo-Ukrainian War. Overseas, Briar served with foreign allies and partner nations under the newly formed Security Assistance Group–Ukraine. He earned recognition for his ability to bridge cultural gaps and coordinate operations within diverse international militaries, earning a promotion to First Lieutenant and his first Army Achievement Medal.
In 2024, Briar redeployed to Fort Bliss, Texas, within the city of El Paso, and witnessed the real-world effects of a failed border policy. Over the next fourteen months, he earned significant acclaim for his command of a Reconnaissance “Scout” Platoon and its 36 cavalry scouts, tasked with gathering early intelligence of the battlefield and destroying enemy counter-reconnaissance forces. Under Briar’s command, the platoon was named the top reconnaissance platoon in the Brigade – an organization of nearly 5,000 soldiers. In 2025, Briar was selected for promotion to Captain, but while undergoing surgery for service-related injuries, it was determined he would require a medical retirement. Briar is transitioning from the Army and will medically retire as a Captain in 2026. During his service, Briar was awarded the Army Commendation Medal, three (3) Army Achievement Medals, the Overseas Service Ribbon, and the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal.
Briar is a 6th-generation Mid-Michigander, with his lineage residing in the area before Michigan received its Statehood. His paternal ancestor Augustin Bearce settled in America by way of the “Confidence” of London in April of 1638, while his maternal great-great-grandfather emigrated from Italy in the late 1800s to log the western Upper Peninsula.
Briar’s great-grandfather retired as a Colonel in the Army Air Corps after serving in WWII as a Chaplain and completing 42 voyages across the Atlantic supporting troops as they deployed to and from the European theater. His paternal grandfather worked as a supervisor at the original Fisher Body One Plant in Flint before transferring to the Saginaw Steering Company that would later become Delphi. Like thousands of other Mid-Michigander’s, Briar’s family suffered from the fallout of deindustrialization that’s decimated our regional economy. This inspired Briar’s commitment to restore Michigan’s manufacturing prominence with a pro-business state policy void of government overregulation, necessary for a prosperous statethat Michiganders want to live, work, and raise a family in. Briar’s mother is a public school teacher, while his father retired as a principal and Hall of Fame football coach. With both parents holding a career in Michigan’s public education system, Briar has witnessed the state-led education bureaucracy drive the quality of our school system to a record low in national rankings, a trend he’ll prioritize to change as our next State Representative.
To hear Briar’s take on important issues, click here.
Briar has maintained Millington as his home of record and is thrilled to return home with his wife, Chloe, to serve in the State House of Representatives.
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Meet Briar Bearss
Get to know your State Representative
Briar presenting on Bearss Residential’s success to a panel on affordable housing.
Briar (bottom center) with his father and twin brother.
Briar is the oldest of Roger and Ronna Bearss’ three children, and was born at Marquette General Hospital. During his childhood, the Bearss family moved often throughout the state of Michigan from the Upper Peninsula to the Thumb. They eventually settled between Millington and Frankenmuth – where Briar and his siblings received the sacrament of baptism at St. Lorenz Lutheran Church.
Briar was drawn towards a life of service from a young age. In the third grade he applied to the Air Force Academy on a shared classroom computer. This was only discovered after a recruiter called the family home requesting to speak with Briar. His mother asked, “Do you know he’s eight years old?” The recruiter replied, “Oh, well tell him to call back in ten years.”
As a teen, Briar developed natural leadership ability. He was elected President of his High School class, and captain of both the football and basketball team. Like hundreds of our region’s youth, Briar spent his summers working the local farms with his teammates, building a foundation in both athletic conditioning and our local work ethic. As a Senior, he was nominated to attend the U.S. Military Academy at West Point by Michigan’s 8th Congressional District. After graduating as Salutatorian from Millington High School and accepting an offer to join the Army Football team, Briar entered active duty service at West Point, New York, in July of 2018.
While at the Academy, Briar continued to lead among America’s best and brightest. He excelled in West Point’s rigorous engineering coursework as well as military training in the Summer months. Outside of the classroom he was a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the Army Football team, winning the Armed Forces Bowl against Houston 2018 and Missouri in 2021.
When the cadets returned home during the COVID-19 pandemic, Briar, his twin brother, and their childhood best friend started Bearss Residential. Their concept was simple: purchase neglected and abandoned properties that stained the community, improve the properties and the surrounding neighborhood, then offer it as an affordable home to Veterans and low-income families in need. Following years of growth and balancing active-duty service and hometown entrepreneurship, Bearss Residential now provides affordable housing opportunities to hundreds of low-income Veterans and families through local, state, and federal partnerships. Under Briar’s leadership, the company attracted significant private investment to our state at scale, targeting a region that had not experienced such investment in over 50 years. Briar will attract this same economic growth as our State Representative.
Briar as a Cadet @ the U.S Military Academy - West Point.
Briar graduated from West Point in May of 2022 and commissioned as an Officer in the U.S. Army. He was assigned to Fort Bliss, Texas and immediately deployed to Eastern Europe in response to the Russo-Ukrainian War. While deployed, Briar served with foreign allies and partner nations under the newly formed Security Assistance Group–Ukraine. He earned recognition for his ability to bridge cultural gaps and coordinate operations within diverse international militaries, earning a promotion to First Lieutenant and his first Army Achievement Medal.
In 2024, Briar redeployed to Fort Bliss, Texas, within the city of El Paso, and witnessed the real-world effects of a failed border policy. Over the next fourteen months, he earned significant acclaim for his command of a Reconnaissance “Scout” Platoon and its 36 cavalry scouts, tasked with gathering early intelligence of the battlefield and destroying enemy counter-reconnaissance forces. Under Briar’s command, the platoon was named the top reconnaissance platoon in the Brigade – an organization of nearly 5,000 soldiers. In 2025, Briar was selected for promotion to Captain, but while undergoing surgery for service-related injuries, it was determined he would require a medical retirement. Briar is transitioning from the Army and will medically retire as a Captain in 2026. During his service, Briar was awarded the Army Commendation Medal, three (3) Army Achievement Medals, the Overseas Service Ribbon, and the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal.
Briar is a 6th-generation Mid-Michigander, with his lineage residing in the area before Michigan received Statehood. His paternal ancestor Augustin Bearce settled in America by way of the “Confidence” of London in April of 1638, while his maternal great-great-grandfather emigrated from Italy in the late 1800s to log the western Upper Peninsula.
Briar’s great-grandfather retired as a Colonel in the Army Air Corps after serving in WWII as a Chaplain and completing 42 voyages across the Atlantic supporting troops as they came to and from the European theater. His paternal grandfather worked as a supervisor at the original Fisher Body One Plant in Flint before transferring to the Saginaw Steering Company that would later become Delphi. Like thousands of other Mid-Michigander’s, Briar’s family suffered from the fallout of the deindustrialization that’s decimated our regional economy. This inspired Briar’s commitment to restore Michigan’s manufacturing prominence with a pro-business state policy void of government overregulation, necessary for a prosperous state that Michiganders want to live, work, and raise a family in. Briar’s mother is a public school teacher, while his father retired as a principal and Hall of Fame football coach. With both parents holding a career in Michigan’s public education system, Briar has witnessed the state-led education bureaucracy drive the quality of our school system to a record low in national rankings, a trend he’ll prioritize to change as our next State Representative.
To hear Briar’s take on important issues – click here.
Briar has maintained Millington as his home of record and is thrilled to return home with his wife, Chloe, to serve in the State House of Representatives.
