Folo, production Lead

It doesn’t matter what your background is or where you come from. You can’t tell me that people can’t rebuild. You can’t tell me that people can’t have a new life. You can’t tell me that people can’t start fresh, when given proper opportunity. 

I had an investment company, doing foreign exchange trading. People were coming from left and right, literally begging me to take their money to invest. I became very frivolous and very reckless in the way I handled life. I became an absentee husband, absentee father. I was being investigated for months, but I couldn’t see it. Even though I grew up with a very Christian foundation – my mother’s been an evangelist since I was a kid, and my wife is a minister – I wasn’t sound enough in my relationship with God to be able to handle my lifestyle. It kind of grew into its own monster and things around me began to spin out of control. Ultimately, because I refused to follow Arizona's governing laws of operation, almost three years after making me close my doors, I was charged with Securities Fraud. 

After being incarcerated for three months, I had a talk with God. I simply broke down and told Him, OK, you have my attention. I was able to reflect on how I lost sight of who I really was. And then the weight of everything that had happened started to lift. Even through the chaos of jail and prison, there was hope. I became a new man. When it came time for me to get out of prison, all the stuff that I dealt with and experienced, was something I was able to harness. When it was finally time to walk out the gate, there was such an appreciation for life itself and all that would entail.

I came out of prison on April 20, 2020, and COVID had just hit Arizona. The outside world was already so different because I was gone for nine years, and then to come out with everything on lockdown felt like even more freedoms taken away. But I didn’t care; I was home. 

When I started to apply for work again, I didn’t know how it was going to happen. I didn’t know I was going to get so many rejections. I would tell them my story and what my charges were. Some said they could work around it but ultimately no one could use me because I was a felon. Unfortunately, society has their own preconceived notions of what felons are and we get lumped into one big pile. It doesn't matter if you’re truly a criminal or not, some people will choose to see you that way. It felt like there was no redemption, you know.

Finally, I heard about Dave’s Killer Bread. My case worker raved about how they were felon-friendly and all about Second Chances. I said, “Sure, I’ll give it a try.” 

My interview at the bakery was a breath of fresh air. The production supervisor had a criminal background and told me her story. As she began to break down her situation, my tension began to subside because I was dealing with somebody who could relate. She treated me like a human being. So I shared my story and it went from being an interview to a very open conversation. 

When they told me later that day that I got the job, I was so thrilled. Finally, I was afforded the opportunity to be able to rebuild, to be the provider, be a man who is standing on his own two feet again. And that was the starting point. That was the first major step in my life starting over on the outside.

It's been an amazing feeling to get raises and a promotion in my first year at the bakery, and it's a blessing to be in an environment that really promotes growth. The people here bring out the best in you so you can excel. 

My family life is good now, too. My wife and I feel like high schoolers, building a brand-new relationship. My youngest child just graduated from high school, and we just celebrated my daughter’s 21st birthday. I wrote my first novel, “Looking Through the Fog,” after my release to share my reflections, past perceptions and experiences, which has served as a means of inspiration for others. 

I strive to be a living example and show those with a criminal background, or those who are simply trying to rebuild their life, that even though you may fall down, get back up because redemption is truly possible. Folo actually stands for Flying Over Limitless Obstacles. Although I didn't always apply it, the reason it has become such a part of my life, is because I believe that no matter what I’m up against, through God's grace, I will overcome it. It feels great to now be living up to that.