Barry and Rita Wilson
Expectations, Not Demands
story by JENNIFER BROWN-CARPENTER photos by JOHN WOLLWERTH
Meeting Barry and Rita Wilson feels like meeting the quintessential All-American couple. They are both friendly, hospitable, and have a cat and a super friendly dog. Digging deeper, you learn that you are meeting two incredibly kind, very driven, and committed people — both in general — but mostly to each other.
Barry and Rita were both born and raised in the South. Barry was born in Greenville, South Carolina, and spent most of his childhood in Tennessee. His mother was from there, and they lived there until Barry was in the ninth grade. They moved back to Greenville then, and Barry attended the University of South Carolina, studying advertising and marketing. He has been in the advertising agency business since he graduated from college. When Barry was in high school, he had considered becoming an architect. “I think I was attracted to advertising for some of the same reasons I was attracted to architecture. You are creating something that didn’t exist before, in terms of creativity, messaging, and branding.” Barry’s first exposure to advertising was in school, working at The Greenville News. He decided to attend USC and get his degree in advertising. Upon graduation, he got a job at Henderson Advertising, which was in Greenville, and, at the time, was one of the largest ad agencies outside of Chicago or New York. He was able to work on major national brands while at Henderson, which launched his career working with other major ad agencies and eventually owning his own firm.
Rita was born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama, and attended the University of Alabama. She graduated with two degrees: one in Marketing PR and one in Dance. She pursued the Marketing PR degree because her parents did not want her to exclusively pursue a dance degree, so Rita decided to minor in dance at the time and then stayed another year to complete her second degree. After graduating, Rita moved to Chicago, Illinois, to become a jazz dancer. She spent about four years there before she decided that being a starving artist was not the life for her. “Getting furniture out of alleys and clothes from thrift stores is only fun for a little while.” Rita moved back to Birmingham and decided to pursue a job in marketing. She got a job for a company doing marketing research before employment with Birmingham-Southern College, working in the admissions department. That is where she met that year’s Miss Alabama, who told her about an open position at The Birmingham News. Rita landed the job and began managing marketing and promotions, including the Miss Alabama Pageant, of which she became the Director. “It was quite fascinating; several Miss Alabamas lived with me. I would prep them for Atlantic City, taking them to work out, helping them with interview skills, and managing their schedules and things like that.”
Barry went from Greenville to Dallas, Texas, working for another major ad agency. While there, he was recruited to help build a full-service office in Birmingham, Alabama. That is where he was introduced to his future wife, Rita.
Barry and Rita had their first date on March 9, 1990. They both knew quickly that each other was what they had been looking for in a partner. They got engaged on May 11 of that same year and were married in December. One month later, in January 1991, Barry moved Rita back to Dallas with him. “It was a whirlwind romance,” Rita reminisces. Rita got a job in marketing research in Dallas, doing sampling and survey design for a company called Scarborough/Nielsen.
They lived in Dallas for four more years before moving to Charlotte, North Carolina. Rita had given Barry some boundary lines for where she was willing to move: No farther west than Texas and no farther north than Virginia. “I’m a Southerner, and I wasn’t leaving the South!” After moving to Charlotte, Rita worked for a company doing consumer shows, with shows in Miami, Detroit, Tampa, and Birmingham. She did that for several years until their son, Reid, was three years old. She then became a stay-at-home mom and was heavily involved in everything Reid was involved in, even being named PTA President of the Year in North Carolina. Reid started auto racing as a child, and Barry and Rita worked together to do all of his marketing and representation to sponsors. Reid moved up the ranks to being a part-time racer in the NASCAR Truck Series in 2018/2019, and Rita managed his appearances, fan club, marketing, etc.
Before Rita and Barry purchased Murr Printing in Beaufort, Barry and a business partner owned a successful ad agency with offices in Charlotte, North Carolina, and Richmond, Virginia. After 20 years in business, that agency was dissolved in 2019.
Barry and Rita live in the beautiful Pigeon Point area, where they bought a home in 2018. Rita had rented a house in the neighborhood in 2017 to decide how she liked the area. For many years, they had been coming down to Fripp Island for spring breaks with Reid. Rita fell even more in love with Beaufort while she stayed in Pigeon Point, and they spent a year and a half waiting to buy the perfect home. “We knew we wanted a home on the water,” Rita says. “If we were going to make this big move from Charlotte to Beaufort, I didn’t want to feel like I was still living in Charlotte. It makes it so worth it, after a long and stressful day at work, to come home and relax with the view.” The home where they now live is actually on Wilson Drive and was built in 1952; they purchased the home from the family that had owned it since the 50s. Throughout the entire 2020 year, they oversaw the home’s total renovation while also getting their arms around their purchase of Murr Printing in May.
Barry and Rita are what it means to be a “power couple,” not losing their individuality and independence because of their marriage but only growing their gifts as they live together. They have spent plenty of time together doing things they love. They have traveled all over the United States and Italy, Paris, and one of their personal favorites: Ireland. They also really enjoy the arts: Broadway, theater, dance, symphony, etc. They are huge fans of the Beaufort International Film Festival and are so happy to have been a part of the event just recently.
One of the keys to a long-lasting relationship is finding things that you enjoy doing together, and the Wilsons agree. “You have to take the good with the bad, just like anything else in life,” Rita says. “The grass is not always greener on the other side.” There will always be bumps in the road, and you have to try and just move past them and not hold them against the person you love. “There are things that Rita enjoys doing that I don’t enjoy,” Barry says, “but there are even more things that we like to do together. We spend most of our time together.”
After purchasing Murr Printing and converting it to AlphaGraphics, they work together every day, and it has been a relatively easy adjustment. “We do have to try not to bicker at work as if we’re at home,” they laugh. Utilizing their talents and doing what they are passionate about together makes it work.
“Love, respect, and admiration have helped us stay married for over 30 years, but it’s also being accepting of each other’s differences,” says Barry. “Especially now that we work together,” Rita jokes.
Too many people are willing to just give up or quit on relationships these days, and Rita and Barry agree that the commitment is worth sticking it out. You have to put in the work and be willing to give and take, if and when necessary. “Don’t give up. Work hard at your relationships,” Rita says. “Yes, and if you are with someone you love, when the tough times do hit, you can work through them together. Rita and I have great expectations of each other, but not demands from each other.” And that is something we can all apply in our relationships.
