Meet Sam Wright

The Gravity Vault Middletown finally opened its doors Saturday, January 13th. Learn more about our own franchisee, Sam Wright and why he decided to join the team!

Although Sam Wright, 45, always wanted to own his own business, it wasn’t until his daughter, now entering her freshman year of high school, introduced him to Gravity Vault that he even dreamed he would be a franchisee. “She’s not really into traditional sports but more X-games type of stuff,” Wright says. “About five years ago, she had her birthday party at a Gravity Vault that’s about an hour away from us. We’ve been going there ever since because now she’s on a competitive team, and there’s just not anything like it in our area.”

Long before children, Wright graduated with an accounting degree from Bucknell University in 1990. After spending time as an auditor, he went back to school and received his MBA from New York University in 1998. From there, he joined Arthur Andersen performing due diligence on companies to be acquired by clients, working for the firm in New York and in London before doing the same for Ernst and Young when the former imploded. After examining companies for a living and watching his family become more and more involved in rock climbing, Wright realized Gravity Vault could be the way to satisfy his long-term desire to have his own business. “It’s going to give me the opportunity to get more into a growing sport and also run a company,” he says. “I’m excited for the rock-climbing aspect of it but also excited to be a business owner. And of course, my daughter is excited to be able to climb closer to home.” Wright thinks the gap in the market and the fact that the sport fits right in with New Jersey’s surfing culture both will lead to success in his first franchising adventure.