Mrs. Ninnie Baird began making bread for her family, baking loaves in a small wood-burning stove in her home kitchen in Fort Worth, Texas. She shared extras with her friends and neighbors, thus establishing the reputation of her bread, cakes and pies. Mrs. Baird began her commercial operation in 1908 when her husband's failing health made it clear that Ninnie would need to find a way to support the family; her sons stepped in and helped to bake and deliver bread on foot and by bicycle. The popularity of her bread quickly spread, and it quickly became apparent that the small oven and deliveries by foot were not sufficient. The purchase of a commercial oven and the conversion of the family buggy to a horse drawn delivery wagon in 1915 marked the beginning of an expansion that would eventually see Mrs. Baird's factories located throughout Texas. In 1998 Mrs. Baird's Bread was bought by the Mexican company Grupo-Bimbo, but factories still operate in many Texas cities.

The TracyLocke company was started in Oklahoma City in 1913 by founders Shelley E. Tracy (of Vernon, TX) and Raymond P. Locke. Within two years, the company began expanding throughout the region, including an office in Dallas, which soon became the company's headquarters. While the company has expanded into several satellite offices around the nation, it has remained one of the premier advertising companies of the Southwest, serving such regional clients as Haggar, Mrs. Baird's, Frito-Lay, Dr. Pepper, and Imperial Sugar. The TracyLocke company is responsible for many branding campaigns that have integrated products into the fabric of everyday culture: they coined the term "slacks" while working with Haggar, created the "10-2-4" slogan for Dr. Pepper, and invented the name "7-Eleven." This film collection came to TAMI courtesy of Mark Beasley at Lucid Post and Richard Brown, formerly of TracyLocke.