The Wright Family: Raising Them Wright in Marple

Resident Feature by Holly Stupak

This month we are excited to introduce you to The Wrights: Kim, William and their four sons. Kim and William have lived in several different states including Hawaii, Texas, Oregon and Maryland, and they’re the proud owners of two successful businesses. In 2017, they found their forever home here in Marple and are raising their boys the “Wright” way — by teaching them that life is full of adventure and passing on their entrepreneurial spirit.

Kim is a Texas native who attended Ursuline Academy, an all-girls Catholic high school in Dallas. She went on to earn a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Texas at Arlington. In her 20s, Kim lived in Hawaii, where she worked a day job, tended bar in the evenings and during her free time enjoyed horseback riding and scuba diving.

Growing up, William (Will) lived in a few different places in Pennsylvania including the Main Line and center city Philadelphia. He graduated from Penn Charter High School, where he played soccer, sang in the choir and performed in musicals. After high school, he studied music and earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts at Pacific University in Oregon. In his late 20s, Will headed out to Hawaii to start fresh in a new place. He worked in the HVAC industry and became a bartender at night to earn some extra money.

In 2002, Kim and Will met at bartending school and really hit it off. Will impressed Kim with his musical talents of playing the piano and singing. “In our early dating days, Will would pick me up from the beachfront bar where I worked and play piano for me on the public plaza,” said Kim.

When things started getting serious, Kim and Will decided to move back to Texas, to be closer to Kim’s family. In 2006, they were married on Kim’s dad’s ranch, which he built himself and included a finished back patio that they turned into a dance floor. After their wedding, Kim and Will lived in Texas for a few years, but eventually moved to Pennsylvania in 2010 so that Will could be closer to and help care for his dad who was suffering from Parkinson’s disease.

Kim and Will lived in center city Philly for a few years, eventually moving to the East Falls section of Philadelphia. Kim and Will said they enjoyed being in the city and fell in love with Philadelphia, taking advantage of everything it had to offer, especially its art museums and restaurants. But after starting a family, they realized they would need more space, and that need eventually brought them to Marple.

When they had moved back to Pennsylvania, Will started his own business, Wright Commissioning, which specializes in testing and documenting that a building’s systems all function effectively and according to the designer’s intent. Will’s firm, which also helps building owners achieve energy savings and improve operations, is the Philadelphia area’s only completely independent commissioning firm. “I’m proud to have built Wright Commissioning from nothing to what it is today,” said Will. “I’ve been able to be a part of some special projects, including at some of Philadelphia’s most recognizable buildings.”

For several years, Kim worked along with Will at Wright Commissioning. Then in 2018, the couple started discussing opening another business and were interested in buying a franchise. “I was familiar with Nothing Bundt Cakes from our time in Texas,” said Kim. “I always loved their cheerful environment, their cakes and their values. and it was a great opportunity to bring a bit of something I loved from Texas to Pennsylvania.”

With over 400 bakeries in the United States, Nothing Bundt Cakes is a successful, niche bakery concept with a “Mom and Pop” feel. Each bakery location has the warmth and nostalgia of a home-kitchen serving an old family favorite – the Bundt cake. Each cake features fun and contemporary cake decorations that can be personalized for any occasion.

The Wrights are now the owners of Nothing Bundt Cakes (NothingBundtCakes.com) in three locations: Springfield, Ardmore/Wynnewood and King of Prussia/Wayne. “The unexpected thing I love about being a small business owner is being able to provide a healthy work environment for young people,” said Kim. “I hope to be able to give them skills they can use for life. I treat them as I would want my own children to be treated at their first job.” Will said he plans on continuing to grow Wright Commissioning, but in the future, he may take on a larger role at Nothing Bundt Cakes. “Of course, that’s if Kim lets me,” he added jokingly.

Through Nothing Bundt Cakes, the Wrights have also been involved in many community activities including fundraising events or donations for school groups and friends and neighbors.

If you think the Wrights aren’t busy enough running three bakeries and a commissioning business, they also have four young boys.

Their oldest son Aidan, born in 2009, is a 6th-grader at Paxon Hollow Middle School. Kim said they call “Aidan their miracle boy” because she was told that for medical reasons, she only had a “one in a million chance” of becoming pregnant. But Aidan came along with no medical assistance. He’s a responsible, reserved and rule-following young man. He loves rubik’s cubes, puzzles, trivia and juggling, and is also part of a Ukulele Club.

Next in the family are identical twin boys Brady and Jack. To tell them apart when they were babies (and even now occasionally), Kim and Will dressed Brady in blue and Jack in green. Now 10 years old and 4th-graders at Loomis Elementary, the boys are very outgoing and always the life of a party. “They’ve never met a stranger,” said Kim. “Together or apart, they take the fun with them wherever they go.”

Their youngest son, Charlie, was the Wright family’s surprise. Described by his mom as fierce and demanding, Charlie is a joyful four-year-old who attends Pre-K at Temple Sholom in Broomall and loves Paw Patrol and Legos.

The three oldest boys play ice hockey on club teams and through the Marple Newtown Ice Hockey Club, where Kim serves as the club’s Elementary School Vice President. “We are a major hockey family,” said Kim. “We also have season tickets to the Philadelphia Flyers, so when we aren’t playing hockey, we’re watching hockey!”

Although the Wright’s businesses and boys’ activities keep them busy, they love hockey weekends where they get to travel to places like Hershey, PA, and Toronto, Canada. One of their favorite trips was to Lake Placid, New York, where the boys got to play ice hockey on the frozen lake and the family got to ride on an Olympic bobsled. In summertime the Wrights can be found at their happy place, Ocean View Resort and Campground, where they own a trailer and get to spend plenty of time at the beach.

Since 2017, the Wrights have lived on a cul-de-sac in Beatty Woods, where coincidentally they have neighbors who are from Dallas, Texas.

The Wrights love being part of the Marple community and finding out about groups or causes important to their neighbors. “Nothing Bundt Cakes is always looking for ways to connect to the local community,” said Kim. “And we appreciate how much they’ve supported us. Since moving here, we’ve learned that folks in Delco are fiercely loyal to their neighbors. We lived in many different places, but this is our forever home. Our family just fits here!”

Do you know a Broomall resident, family or nonprofit organization who should become known by our community? Make your nominations for upcoming magazine features by emailing your ideas to Holly Stupak at HStupak@BestVersionMedia.com.