Gary Wright

Business Advisor/Entrepreneur

Gary Wright grew up in a small Southern town, working at his father’s five-&-dime variety store. Spending his formative years helping out with the family business, Gary learned early the connection a local business has to the life of a community and the value it adds to the residents’ lives. This store was where all the townspeople shopped, visited, and connected with one another.

Gary carried those early influences with him as he began his career with Southern Living/Time Inc. His job was to travel all across the country finding unique stories of businesses and business owners to share with Southern Living’s millions of readers. Gary developed relationships with mom-and-pop businesses and business dreamers who, with his help, grew into some of the most recognized brands in the country.

During his nearly three-decade career with the company, Gary created the media machine behind such clients as Oprah Winfrey, Martha Stewart, Jodie Foster, Vanna White, Jenny Craig, The Vanderbilt Family (Biltmore Estate), and Sister Schubert of Sister Schubert’s Parker House Rolls, expanding these names into nationally-recognized brands through publications under Time Inc. publishing. While overseeing business development for Time Inc., he created partnerships with Weight Watchers, Williams-Sonoma, and Pottery Barn.

Tapped to be a founding executive for a new business launch, Southern Living At HOME, Gary built this direct-selling business into the fastest-growing company in the industry’s history, reaching $200 million in sales in record-breaking time. Seeing more than 80,000 women throughout all 50 states join this new venture and become their own business owners was a highlight for Gary. After shepherding the sale of this company, Gary began his next chapter of reuniting with clients he had discovered and developed over the last decades and further propelling their brands into the future. He particularly has a passion for working with small brands in their infancy to guide them to reach their dreams.

This sought-after speaker is considered the magic behind many of the brands that we all know and love. During his session, he’ll share insight into building your business YOUR way and into reaching the business goals you may have never imagined!