One of Maricopa’s key developers giving back to next generation
by Joey Chenoweth | Maricopa Monitor

Mike Ingram is the founder of El Dorado Holdings, which has large developments around the Phoenix metro area, including Rancho El Dorado and its associated properties in Maricopa./Submitted via Maricopa Monitor
K. Michael “Mike” Ingram is known today as one of the more successful self-made real estate moguls in Arizona. But if you had met him as a teenager, such a life path would have seemed nearly impossible.
When he was 13, Ingram’s father died. On top of the emotional pain came the realization that he and his mother were on their own to deal with the ramifications, such as medical bills and a large mortgage. His dad had built a motel in Roswell, New Mexico, before he died, meaning Ingram had to quickly learn how to operate every aspect of that business, from renting rooms to fixing all the toilets.
That still wasn’t enough to support his family, so Ingram had to take a job with a local farmer and also cleaned the city pool.