Today we’d like to introduce you to Amy Ford.
Hi Amy, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I learned early on about resilience and overcoming adversity born to rural young parents, followed by losing a parent at just 12 years old. The lessons from my childhood would carry me throughout my life, strength, courage, bravery, are all words that pop in my mind as I think back on my life and those that helped sculpt it. In high school I wanted to become a nurse but when graduation day came this teenager had other plans, I thought I would take a walkabout and see where the wind blew me but my amazing mom had other plans…GET TO WORK. She worked in Logistics at that time for MNX Transportation and quickly had me in there in an entry level role, if I wasn’t going to college I was going to work! I actually enjoyed the industry and took great interest in the daily workings. Shortly MNX was purchased by Swift Transportation headquartered in Phoenix, AZ. Lots of changes would take place, our office was moved to Edwardsville, KS which left mom and I with an 85 mile commute to work…ONE WAY! A few months would pass and I found myself excelling at most things I was allowed to help with at Swift. Imagine my surprise when one day I was approached by a Vice President with the opportunity to move to Phoenix, AZ with the brokerage division. Just 18 years old my journey was just beginning, excited and scared I accepted and off to see the world I went. I was not afraid of hard work nor learning so what did I have to lose, I may be young but I was not afraid to be the last girl out of the building, that had to count for something right? In Phoenix I had so many new opportunities I spent as much time as possible learning the inner workings of logistics. Our department grew and became part of several acquisitions, late nights became the norm. Our brokerage team was very successful and breaking the mold, 3 ladies from Missouri were turning heads in the corporate world. I remember my first formal evening out with clients; I was very quiet taking everything in worried I might misstep in conversation or god forbid I spill my drink at dinner like a child. Seems like a lifetime ago but those 4 years taught me that hard work and courage will take you as far as you want to go in this life. Eventually a health scare would lead me back to Missouri where I would begin my career at Alliance Shippers in Mission, KS. Alliance was also a logistics company but one focused primarily on freight moving via the rail lines. I started there in dispatch and again would outshine my peers simply through hard work and courage, no fancy degree just valuable lessons from the school of hard knocks. It didn’t take long to earn the respect of the Vice President Ed Spore. I didn’t know at the time but Ed would turn out to be one of the greatest mentors of my life. He was a very polished and an extremely smart businessman but also never hesitated to jump in the trenches to help his team, regardless of the task at hand. He was strong and stern but approachable and willing to teach. While at Alliance I would meet my husband now of 25 years and eventually have two beautiful children. Over the years Ed would continue to raise the bar for me but also offer great advancement opportunities in my career. I worked my way up the ladder from Supervisor positions to eventually multiple Director roles. I spent 20 years at Alliance learning all the facets of business, management, humility, and tenacity. At the 20 year mark as Senior Director of Intermodal Services my division was the best in the country for Alliance, we had built a team that was a direct reflection of strength, courage, and unity. Together we surpassed any expectations that had been set and along the way became great friends. As in life, the good lord always has a plan, little did I know part of his plan would mean giving up the career that I loved. The 20 years of late nights, hard work, travel, long commutes, took a toll on my health. I was losing ground physically but still working very hard trying to overcome. In a strange turn of events I truly believe god opened the door for my next adventure. One day I had reached out to my longtime Missouri Farm Bureau Insurance agent to report a claim (my teenagers ran into each other in the driveway). He mentioned that he had been promoted and inquired if I would have any interest in taking his spot to which I quickly said heck no! The next chapter of my life started that day, over time with a lot of prayer and a gentle nudge from my concerned family I would take the leap to insurance. Starting over in your fourties is not for the weak, being a rookie surrounded by amazing producers remains one of the toughest times in my life and another lesson I will never forget. At Alliance I had been at the top, received numerous awards, been in the “war room” where the tough decisions were made, how could I start over. Failure was not something we were familiar with in our family, you “bucked up” no matter what life would throw and you kept going always reaching for the stars. The biggest battle was to get my head around this and realize this opportunity would be no different, The first few years would prove to be difficult but it was quite clear to outsiders looking in that I had a knack for the insurance industry, turns out taking care of people by being honest and straight forward were still attributes that were important to folks. In the 3rd year at Farm Bureau I would lose my first client unexpectedly and would have to fulfill the life insurance promise, this was an experience unlike any other in my career. I had come across adversity in the past but nothing that would impact human life, to have a career that would be responsible for protecting a person’s most important assets had a whole new level of responsibility and complexity. Again I would have to look back at my childhood roots and “buck up”. I believe this was not only a pivotal moment in my career but also in my life. It was at that moment that I realized I now had the skills to make a real difference in the world, not corporate america but actually in the lives of the families in my community. I would not let fear control me any longer I would take this new opportunity just as I always had and run with it. 7 years at Farm Bureau and my life is full, my work life balance has greatly improved, I have a wonderful team and so many extraordinary clients. I know that each step of my life prepared me for this chapter, thankful and blessed are two words that constantly come to my mind. All you need to be successful in this world is will and courage the rest will fall into place.
The change to Farm Bureau had a great impact on my personal life as well.
My grandpa was a WW11 veteran along with many others in my family. The veterans are very near and dear to our hearts. In 2017 my husband and I decided we wanted to find a way to give back. After some though we decided to host a small event to raise funds for local veterans. What did people LIKE to do in the area, what would people PAY to do, how could we best get the funds to a place where it actually touched a Veteran? We stumbled on the Veterans Assistance League which is a non-profit organization that provides quality of life assistance to the Veterans housed at the Veterans home in Cameron.
Now the goal was simple to help raise a little money for the VAL. So we started to rein in friends and family to help with this idea….what could we do…lightbulb….charge folks to do what they love…take a UTV ride through the country…but what would they call this ride? What is the definition of a person that loves their country…a Patriot…and the NWMO UTV Patriot Riders group was born.
The first ride we felt was a big success we were able to donate around $3500….awesome! The next year they started a facebook page to help spread the word about this awesome new group and find other folks that believe in God…Family…. and loving their Country. The next year the ride doubled…and the years to come the ride would continue to grow. Turns out there are people from all over that wanted to join this mission. Fast forward to 2025, riders, businesses, volunteers from 5 states have joined forces to help support this great cause. After only 8 years the Patriot Ride has donated near $300k to the VAL. The group has been awarded the Missouri Attorney General Honors award not once but twice. The group has been featured in magazines, newspapers, television stories, and the list goes on. The group was recently recognized with an award from the Veterans Assistance League that will forever be on display in the VA home. Governor Mike Kehoe recently made a special visit to Cameron to present the Patriot Ride group with an award for its extraordinary work.
The Patriot Riders work together with a positive attitude and a sole focus on making a difference. The ride is a great example of what positivity and an idea can accomplish. It is a great example of a rural group taking care of their people by working together and giving back. It is a great example of supporting their community as the riders that come for this event, stay in hotels ,they get fuel, they get supplies, and they eat in the community…. this helps support our local businesses which is crucial in today’s economy.
Most of our supporters will tell you this is the least they can do to try to give back to those that have made the ultimate sacrifice. Passion for the Patriot Ride is contagious, every year as we raise awareness the support grows. We have simply helped shed light on the Veterans Assistance League, this is an amazing organization making a huge difference…this family friendly event has made it easy for folks to give back and contribute to something bigger than themselves. People want to do good things sometimes they just need organization and direction on how to do it!
Close your eyes and picture the start of the ride….laughter, the hustle and bustle of miles and miles of machines filing into the VA, veterans lined up looking at the chaos….then the engines stop…the crowd of 100’s gather…hats come off…hands are placed over hearts….not a sound can be heard but the flag blowing in the wind…veterans fight to rise to their feet and salute the flag some being helped by their neighbor….the national anthem begins to Beller thru the valley…and in that moment the gratitude, the purpose, the sacrifice is understood by all as the tears fall across the faces of the crowd. In that moment the only thing that matter is the cause just love for our country and those that served it….this is the “why”!
My story is not unique there are great people all over this earth that take the hard lessons and the paths they have walked and use that experience to be part of something bigger. Most people want to do great things they just need the strength, support, and an outlet to do so. As I near 50 years old I pray that the next chapters of my life are half as fulfilling as the last few years, I hope that my story inspires someone else to take the leap! I pray that my children will have the strength to do the hard things and lead by example.
The only thing keeping us from greatness is fear…I live by this.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I learned early on about resilience and overcoming adversity born to rural young parents, followed by losing a parent at just 12 years old. The lessons from my childhood would carry me throughout my life, strength, courage, bravery, are all words that pop in my mind as I think back on my life and those that helped sculpt it. In high school I wanted to become a nurse but when graduation day came this teenager had other plans, I thought I would take a walkabout and see where the wind blew me but my amazing mom had other plans…GET TO WORK. She worked in Logistics at that time for MNX Transportation and quickly had me in there in an entry level role, if I wasn’t going to college I was going to work! I actually enjoyed the industry and took great interest in the daily workings. Shortly MNX was purchased by Swift Transportation headquartered in Phoenix, AZ. Lots of changes would take place, our office was moved to Edwardsville, KS which left mom and I with an 85 mile commute to work…ONE WAY! A few months would pass and I found myself excelling at most things I was allowed to help with at Swift. Imagine my surprise when one day I was approached by a Vice President with the opportunity to move to Phoenix, AZ with the brokerage division. Just 18 years old my journey was just beginning, excited and scared I accepted and off to see the world I went. I was not afraid of hard work nor learning so what did I have to lose, I may be young but I was not afraid to be the last girl out of the building, that had to count for something right? In Phoenix I had so many new opportunities I spent as much time as possible learning the inner workings of logistics. Our department grew and became part of several acquisitions, late nights became the norm. Our brokerage team was very successful and breaking the mold, 3 ladies from Missouri were turning heads in the corporate world. I remember my first formal evening out with clients; I was very quiet taking everything in worried I might misstep in conversation or god forbid I spill my drink at dinner like a child. Seems like a lifetime ago but those 4 years taught me that hard work and courage will take you as far as you want to go in this life. Eventually a health scare would lead me back to Missouri where I would begin my career at Alliance Shippers in Mission, KS. Alliance was also a logistics company but one focused primarily on freight moving via the rail lines. I started there in dispatch and again would outshine my peers simply through hard work and courage, no fancy degree just valuable lessons from the school of hard knocks. It didn’t take long to earn the respect of the Vice President Ed Spore. I didn’t know at the time but Ed would turn out to be the greatest career mentor of my life. He was a very polished and an extremely smart business man but also never hesitated to jump in the trenches to help his team, regardless of the task at hand. He was strong and stern but approachable and willing to teach. While at Alliance I would meet my husband now of 25 years and eventually have two beautiful children. Over the years Ed would continue to raise the bar for me but also offer great advancement opportunities in my career. I worked my way up the ladder from Supervisor positions to eventually multiple Director roles. I spent 20 years at Alliance learning all the facets of business, management, humility, and tenacity. At the 20 year mark as Senior Director of Intermodal Services my division was the best in the country for Alliance, we had built a team that was a direct reflection of strength, courage, and unity. Together we surpassed any expectations that had been set and along the way became great friends. As in life, the good lord always has a plan, little did I know part of his plan would mean giving up the career that I loved. The 20 years of late nights, hard work, travel, long commutes, took a toll on my health. I was losing ground physically but still working very hard trying to overcome. In a strange turn of events I truly believe god opened the door for my next adventure. One day I had reached out to my longtime Missouri Farm Bureau Insurance agent to report a claim (my teenagers ran into each other in the driveway). He mentioned that he had been promoted and inquired if I would have any interest in taking his spot to which I quickly said heck no! The next chapter of my life started that day, over time with a lot of prayer and a gentle nudge from my concerned family I would take the leap to insurance. Starting over in your fourties is not for the weak, being a rookie surrounded by amazing producers remains one of the toughest times in my life and another lesson I will never forget. At Alliance I had been at the top, received numerous awards, been in the “war room” where the tough decisions were made, how could I start over. Failure was not something we were familiar with in our family, you “bucked up” no matter what life would throw and you kept going always reaching for the stars. The biggest battle was to get my head around this and realize this opportunity would be no different, The first few years would prove to be difficult but it was quite clear to outsiders looking in that I had a knack for the insurance industry, turns out taking care of people by being honest and straight forward were still attributes that were important to folks. In the 3rd year at Farm Bureau I would lose my first client unexpectedly and would have to fulfill the life insurance process, this was an experience unlike any other in my career. I had come across adversity in the past but nothing that would impact human life, to have a career that would be responsible for protecting a person’s most important assets had a whole new level of responsibility and complexity. Again I would have to look back at my childhood roots and “buck up”. I believe this was not only a pivotal moment in my career but also in my life. It was at that moment that I realized I now had the skills to make a real difference in the world, not corporate america but actually in the lives of the families in my community. I would not let fear control me any longer I would take this new opportunity just as I always had and run with it. 7 years at Farm Bureau and my life is full, my work life balance has greatly improved, I have a wonderful team and so many extraordinary clients. I know that each step of my life prepared me for this chapter, thankful and blessed are two words that constantly come to my mind. All you need to be successful in this world is will and courage the rest will fall into place.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I learned early on about resilience and overcoming adversity born to rural young parents, followed by losing a parent at just 12 years old. The lessons from my childhood would carry me throughout my life, strength, courage, bravery, are all words that pop in my mind as I think back on my life and those that helped sculpt it. In high school I wanted to become a nurse but when graduation day came this teenager had other plans, I thought I would take a walkabout and see where the wind blew me but my amazing mom had other plans…GET TO WORK. She worked in Logistics at that time for MNX Transportation and quickly had me in there in an entry level role, if I wasn’t going to college I was going to work! I actually enjoyed the industry and took great interest in the daily workings. Shortly MNX was purchased by Swift Transportation headquartered in Phoenix, AZ. Lots of changes would take place, our office was moved to Edwardsville, KS which left mom and I with an 85 mile commute to work…ONE WAY! A few months would pass and I found myself excelling at most things I was allowed to help with at Swift. Imagine my surprise when one day I was approached by a Vice President with the opportunity to move to Phoenix, AZ with the brokerage division. Just 18 years old my journey was just beginning, excited and scared I accepted and off to see the world I went. I was not afraid of hard work nor learning so what did I have to lose, I may be young but I was not afraid to be the last girl out of the building, that had to count for something right? In Phoenix I had so many new opportunities I spent as much time as possible learning the inner workings of logistics. Our department grew and became part of several acquisitions, late nights became the norm. Our brokerage team was very successful and breaking the mold, 3 ladies from Missouri were turning heads in the corporate world. I remember my first formal evening out with clients; I was very quiet taking everything in worried I might misstep in conversation or god forbid I spill my drink at dinner like a child. Seems like a lifetime ago but those 4 years taught me that hard work and courage will take you as far as you want to go in this life. Eventually a health scare would lead me back to Missouri where I would begin my career at Alliance Shippers in Mission, KS. Alliance was also a logistics company but one focused primarily on freight moving via the rail lines. I started there in dispatch and again would outshine my peers simply through hard work and courage, no fancy degree just valuable lessons from the school of hard knocks. It didn’t take long to earn the respect of the Vice President Ed Spore. I didn’t know at the time but Ed would turn out to be the greatest career mentor of my life. He was a very polished and an extremely smart business man but also never hesitated to jump in the trenches to help his team, regardless of the task at hand. He was strong and stern but approachable and willing to teach. While at Alliance I would meet my husband now of 25 years and eventually have two beautiful children. Over the years Ed would continue to raise the bar for me but also offer great advancement opportunities in my career. I worked my way up the ladder from Supervisor positions to eventually multiple Director roles. I spent 20 years at Alliance learning all the facets of business, management, humility, and tenacity. At the 20 year mark as Senior Director of Intermodal Services my division was the best in the country for Alliance, we had built a team that was a direct reflection of strength, courage, and unity. Together we surpassed any expectations that had been set and along the way became great friends. As in life, the good lord always has a plan, little did I know part of his plan would mean giving up the career that I loved. The 20 years of late nights, hard work, travel, long commutes, took a toll on my health. I was losing ground physically but still working very hard trying to overcome. In a strange turn of events I truly believe god opened the door for my next adventure. One day I had reached out to my longtime Missouri Farm Bureau Insurance agent to report a claim (my teenagers ran into each other in the driveway). He mentioned that he had been promoted and inquired if I would have any interest in taking his spot to which I quickly said heck no! The next chapter of my life started that day, over time with a lot of prayer and a gentle nudge from my concerned family I would take the leap to insurance. Starting over in your fourties is not for the weak, being a rookie surrounded by amazing producers remains one of the toughest times in my life and another lesson I will never forget. At Alliance I had been at the top, received numerous awards, been in the “war room” where the tough decisions were made, how could I start over. Failure was not something we were familiar with in our family, you “bucked up” no matter what life would throw and you kept going always reaching for the stars. The biggest battle was to get my head around this and realize this opportunity would be no different, The first few years would prove to be difficult but it was quite clear to outsiders looking in that I had a knack for the insurance industry, turns out taking care of people by being honest and straight forward were still attributes that were important to folks. In the 3rd year at Farm Bureau I would lose my first client unexpectedly and would have to fulfill the life insurance process, this was an experience unlike any other in my career. I had come across adversity in the past but nothing that would impact human life, to have a career that would be responsible for protecting a person’s most important assets had a whole new level of responsibility and complexity. Again I would have to look back at my childhood roots and “buck up”. I believe this was not only a pivotal moment in my career but also in my life. It was at that moment that I realized I now had the skills to make a real difference in the world, not corporate america but actually in the lives of the families in my community. I would not let fear control me any longer I would take this new opportunity just as I always had and run with it. 7 years at Farm Bureau and my life is full, my work life balance has greatly improved, I have a wonderful team and so many extraordinary clients. I know that each step of my life prepared me for this chapter, thankful and blessed are two words that constantly come to my mind. All you need to be successful in this world is will and courage the rest will fall into place.
In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
The insurance industry is constantly changing but one thing that will impact us is AI and the ability for consumers to purchase insurance without an agent. My task is to emphasize that some industries will always need a human touch and insurance is no different. Clients need an advocate, a friendly voice on the end of the phone or a close office to stop in and talk through the intricate process of insurance and insurance claims. I believe that the brick and mortar business will again be needed as we head into yet another era of online business interaction.
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