Jamie and Michael Ford

Owners of M and J Pioneer Popcorn in Albuquerque, New Mexico

Jaime and Michael Ford had lost their jobs, but they never lost hope. With three young children to feed, the Ford family was barely scraping by on public assistance, living in a small trailer in a friend’s backyard, and on the verge of homelessness. When the Fords told their local Human Services Office about their aspirations to start a small business, Jamie and Michael got a life-changing referral to DreamSpring.  

In the mid-1990s, $300 in start-up capital was enough to launch M and J Pioneer Popcorn, a kettle corn stand the Fords took to open-air markets around New Mexico. The Fords quickly paid off their first loan and got another to grow the enterprise. As they evolved their business models and built economic sustainability, they were finally able to take themselves off public assistance and move their family into a home.  

Achieving success for themselves was only part of the Fords’ story. Jamie and Michael went on to mentor numerous emerging small business owners, with a passion for helping entrepreneurs in public assistance programs.  

“They just had this amazing spirit and were so thoughtful and resourceful,” says DreamSpring President/CEO Anne Haines. “For me, the Fords will always be a wonderful reflection of entrepreneurial innovation.”