HARRISBURG, Pa. (WENY) - In the upcoming May 17 primary election, nine candidates will face off seeking to take on Josh Shapiro in November to be the next governor of Pennsylvania.

Dave White is one of those Republican candidates. This week, White was in Harrisburg where he joined three other Republican candidates in and hour-long debate. 

Before White left the Harrisburg area, he made a stop at Kuppy’s Diner in Middletown. He spoke one-on-one with WENY as he greeted diner-goers early Thursday morning. 

The Delaware County native started his own business with his wife, Debbie, 20 years ago. 

“And grew a phenomenal business, working off my own kitchen table, putting everything on the line, my house, my life savings and grew it to what it is now, an $85 million a year business,” said White. 

If elected, White says he would bring his “results-oriented” work ethic to Harrisburg. 

“In business, you need to be results oriented or you don't grow. In Harrisburg, if you don't get results, you get reelected. That cycle has to stop,” said White. 

As a former vo-tech student, White says expanding vocational-technical education is essential to create good paying jobs and a strong workforce. 

“I'm going to grow a workforce by expanding vocational education,” said White. “I'm a vo-tech student, a graduate of vo-tech. We need to give vocational education an opportunity, and our students an opportunity to have that vocational education,” he added. 

White believes more vo-tech opportunities will help Pennsylvania's economy, especially when paired with new careers in energy production. 

“Pennsylvania's future is the resources we have beneath our feet,” said White, who says he also knows a thing or two about pipelines and energy infrastructure. “I'm a pipefitter, I'm the only one that can really speak to what pipelines can do to our economy,” White added. 

He says his plan would involve using existing infrastructure to help supply energy throughout the state and beyond. 

“We're going to put pipelines through our right of ways, through the turnpike and our interstates, so now we can transport the energy, the natural gas that we have, take it down to the southeast where we have rivers and ports,” said White. “That's how you get economic expansion throughout the whole state. That's how you make Pennsylvania the energy capital of the United States,” he added. 

With four children, three grandchildren and a fourth on the way, White says it's crucial to provide the same opportunities like the one Pennsylvania provided him 20 years ago. 

“And I want to give those same opportunities to our children now, to the next generation. We always want to do best for our kids and our grandkids and I want to make sure that Pennsylvania can do that,” said White.