Jimmy Wright is a lifelong independent grocer who began his grocery career in 1973 at age 12 as a bagger at the Opelika store his father managed. In 1997, Wright bought the store from William Ennis and rebranded it as Wright’s Market in 2003. His 22,000-square-foot independent grocery, known for its fresh meat and produce, employs 32. Wright’s Market also offers an e-commerce fresh food delivery service and was selected for the initial SNAP Online Pilot.

Wright earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration from Auburn University at Montgomery. He also operates Wright Food Solutions, consulting with retailers, wholesalers, non-profits and community development groups in the areas of food access and food security, with a focus on inner city and rural America.

Wright and his store have received local, state and national recognition. He has testified before both the U.S Senate and House Agriculture committees on the importance of the SNAP program in our country. In 2015, he was the Opelika Chamber of Commerce’s Spirit of Opelika award winner; in 2016, he won a U.S. Chamber of Commerce Community Excellence Award; in 2018, the Alabama Grocers Association presented him with the Spirit of Alabama Award for his efforts to eliminate food deserts in Alabama; and in 2019, the Alabama Retail Association named him the Bronze Alabama Retailer of the Year in the Annual Sales $5 Million to $20 Million category. 

Wright’s Market has been an Alabama Retail Association member since 2006. “Alabama Retail engages with our state leaders, stays out in front of legislation and makes sure what is proposed lines up with what the retailers of Alabama need,” Wright said.