April 22 feature 2
Hometown
loyal, hometown proud
By Ann Allen,
Sentinel Correspondent
Royce Wright
has been in business for a year and a half and is so busy he still hasn’t had
time to put up a sign at Pro Parts, his repair shop/aftermarket parts
distributorship located at the east edge of
He may not
have a sign, but he has a website, a passion for the Akron community and the
drive to promote both his business and his home town.
He’s the
kind of person the new Indiana HomeTown
Competitiveness program has in mind—someone willing to return home, start a
business and build community civic capacity. And he makes it look easy.
“I’m very lucky to have an opportunity to do
business the way I do,” he said. “With a website and a cell phone, I can be
hauling manure for my dad or going to Florida to visit my granddaughter and
still create a profit with my business.”
An Akron
native, Wright graduated from Tippecanoe Valley High School in 1982 before
entering the U.S. Navy. Following his discharge in 1986, he moved to Rochester
where he worked for Ford New Holland and served as a reservist at Grissom. In
1988, he entered the U.S. Army, learned to fly helicopters and obtained
certification as an aircraft and power plant mechanic. After serving at Ft.
Campbell, KY, Korea and Savannah, GA, he retired in 1998 and returned to Akron
to live with his father, Waitsel “Gummy” Wright and to lend a helping hand at
Akron Speedway, the go-kart track north of town, while working full-time for
Max Fisher’s car recycling business in North Manchester.
“I thought
about creating my own job when I got out of the military,” he said, “but it
took me a little while to make the leap.”
Now that
he’s done it, he’s glad he did. “Working on cars isn’t all that much different
from working on helicopters,” he said. “It’s all mechanical. Selling
headlights, fenders and window regulators is all part of the business.”
Making his
new life even better is being back in his home community where he is active in
the Olive Branch Church of God and plans to join the Kiwanis Club. Most
challenging of all, he has become president of the Akron Chamber of Commerce,
an organization that ran out of steam for a few years but now is undergoing a
complete revival.
“I love this little town,” he said. “It’s the
people. My son, Chad, has never lived here but when he comes up from Florida,
he can’t believe how many people I know and how supportive they are. He and his
wife love our Fourth of July celebrations. They already have tickets to fly up
again this year. Chad now considers Akron his hometown.”
His
daughter, Crystal, who lives in Huntington, also is a frequent visitor.
“I’m glad to
see the community coming together as a community through the Chamber,” he said.
“The donkey basketball game brought back a lot of memories for a lot of people
and created a lot of enjoyment. I’m excited to see what we can do with what we
have.
“Revitalizing
the Chamber by rewriting the by-laws has been good—it’s going to give more
people the opportunity to step up. Not the same people will have to do all the
work all the time.
“I remember
what Akron was when I was a child compared with what it is today. I’d like to
regain that, but I want us to move on as well. I’d like to see three centers in
town—one for adult education, one for youth and an assisted living complex.”
He doesn’t
expect to accomplish all that within a few months, but he’s holding onto the
dream.
As for
starting one’s own business, he has one bit of advice: Get a mentor. He credits
Max Fisher, his military training and his work as an officer of the Automotive
Recyclers of Indiana for being good mentors. “Ed Martin (a local body shop
owner) is a big help,” he said.
“My sergeant
major in the Army always advised me to learn by avoiding other people’s
mistakes. He said, ‘If they failed, learn why.’ That’s good advice, and I
intend to keep on following it. I recommend it to anyone else who wants to
create his or her own job.”
Writer’s
note: This story is the first of what will become two series—one on people
creating their own jobs in their hometown and the other about the strides being
made by the Akron Chamber of Commerce. It seemed fitting to start both series
with Wright’s story since he has not only started a business but stepped up to
the plate in making the community hometown competitive.
Note: I took
a pic of Royce to use with this article and then he
started the hotdog stand Saturday and I took a pic of
him doing that. You can take your pick of pix but probably one would be
sufficient.