In 1917 an El Paso businessman purchased the Mountain Pass Canning Company, renamed it, and set it on the path to becoming the internationally recognized brand it is today. In 1958 the company relocated from New Mexico to the town of Anthony, in El Paso County, Texas. The Old El Paso brand emerged nationally in 1938, and in 1969 became the first to market "Mexican food" throughout the entire United States. Today the Old El Paso brand is owned and operated by General Mills Inc., through the Pillsbury unit.

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.