Dave Dahl spent 15 years in prison before getting off drugs and creating a popular line of baked goods, Dave's Killer Bread. On Friday, the successful businessman spoke to recovering drug addicts in Shasta
County in hopes that they too can kick the habit.
Dave Dahl tells a remarkable story of how he turned his life around. In addition to making bread, he is now using that story to save other people’s lives.
The owner of Dave's Killer Bread gave advice to North State recovering drug addicts Friday afternoon.
“Once you are happy inside, successful in your mind, you don't need any medication to change that,” said Dave Dahl.
He has not always been so happy, Dave used to be a drug addict himself but is now a champion for change in the workplace, one third of his employees are ex-felons.
“They become some amazing workers because they are excited and grateful for the opportunity,” said Dave.
“Dave's story is your classic, come from behind kind of story where you need to spread this kind of word so people do hire folks that have been felons in the past, people do give them opportunities to succeed again,” said Judge Cara Beatty, who oversees the Addicted Offender Program.
Students in Shasta County's Addicted Offender Program were inspired by the speech. Like Carl Stewart for example, who has been in prison three times.
“It gives me chills just to know that there's hope for us, that when we say we are done, we are done. And I am one of those guys that say I am done,” said Stewart.
That reaction is why Judge Beatty brought Dave to Redding.
“Just the recognition that they can do the same thing, anybody with the will and the ability to perceive themselves as they should be, the human being that they should be,” said Beatty.
It’s also why Dave will continue his work.
“Once I had that kind of success, I just wanted to spread it around,” said Dave.
Dave's killer bread is now a multi-million dollar business. Dave says after getting out of prison, he became a work-a-holic and that's how he got where he is today.
