Wright, who served in the Marine Corps after graduating from Morgan County High School, was hired by Hartselle Utilities in 1984 as a backhoe operator on the sewer field crew. He was promoted through the ranks to become foreman, where he stayed for over 20 years.
“Robert helped put in most of the current sewer lines in the system,” says Wastewater Treatment Plant Chief Operator Glen Byrum, who has worked for Wright for 15 years. “He has knowledge in his head that no one else here has; he knows the whole system. A lot of people started out in the sewer department before moving into other departments, so he’s also trained more people at HU than anybody.”
“I can’t remember how many people I’ve supervised over the years,” Wright acknowledges. “Over the years I have seen a lot of changes.”
Wright was named Sanitary Sewer System Superintendent in July 2005, and soon after began revamping the HU’s Wastewater Treatment Plant. “We had inoperational equipment that now works like it is supposed to, and sludge processing and drying beds that are now in full use,” Wright says. “We’ve done a pretty substantial amount of work.
“I’ve enjoyed it,” he continues. “The last 10 years have been the most stressful and tough, but rewarding. Out in the field, I knew exactly what needed to be done. As superintendent, I had to learn a lot. I’d walk around here in the evenings when everybody was gone, trying to figure out and prioritize everything that needed to be done. We created a plan, and in the end we’ve been able to do everything that was in that plan.”
“Thirty years ago when I was first hired, then-Gas Superintendent Preston Hall told me, ‘The people of Hartselle pay your salary, so you need to help them every chance you get.’ I’ve always tried to do that, and it’s kind of been my motto,” Wright says.