Ames has worked in EBT for nearly two decades and in SNAP Online since 2017; she’s a true expert in all things SNAP Online and SNAP EBT. Every day, she takes calls and answers emails from grocers who are trying to figure out if they are eligible for SNAP Online. If they are, she provides customized assistance to walk them through the application process step-by-step.
Ames’s previous roles include EBT Director in Vermont, project manager for FIS for the State of Florida’s SNAP and WIC EBT programs, and technical assistance consultant to USDA FNS for SNAP Online Purchasing since the project's inception. She understands that the SNAP Online process isn’t always intuitive and loves getting answers for grocers who have been chasing down solutions for too long! If that’s you, Ames would love to hear from you.
Ames prides herself on being responsive, knowledgeable, and easy to talk to. She lives in Vermont where she gardens, birdwatches, and walks or skis in the woods with her three dogs - who occasionally have something important to say during her meetings.
Jimmy grew up working with his dad at a market that he eventually bought 22 years ago. Today, that store in Opelika, AL, is known as Wright’s Market. It’s the first independent grocer in the U.S. to offer SNAP Online along with Online Produce Incentives, which launched the week before COVID-19 stay-at-home orders were put in place in March 2020.
While completing the SNAP Online authorization process took some time, to Jimmy, it made good business sense, as 40% of his in-store sales came through SNAP. It was also a way to put customers first: He never wanted to have to turn anyone away because he couldn’t accept the form of payment they could access.
In addition to being president of Wright’s Market, Jimmy runs Wright2U.com, an eCommerce fresh food delivery company. He is also president of Wright Food Solutions, consulting with retailers, wholesalers, non-profits, and community development groups in the areas of food access and food security, with a focus on urban and rural communities and rural America.
Jimmy’s large, national network of grocers, service providers, wholesalers, and more is key to his role at SEMTAC, which he calls “matchmaker.” He says that he can most likely “make a match” for whoever reaches out for assistance—connecting them to someone in his network who can offer support, no matter where they live in the country.
Ted is pictured here with his wife in the Antelope Canyon—a place that perfectly represents Ted’s love of change! Antelope Canyon wasn’t on his vacation itinerary, but he struck up a conversation with a fellow traveler who highly recommended he add it to his already-packed road trip schedule. So he did, and it became his favorite memory from his trip.
A self-proclaimed “old grocery guy,” Ted “grew up in convenience stores,” as his family owned three in his hometown of Lexington, Kentucky. Since childhood, Ted’s learned about ever-changing technology and innovations that support the grocery industry. Among his many roles over his career: director of emerging technology and electronic payments for the Food Marketing Institute, director of information technology for an independent supermarket chain, and chair of the committee that published the first national standard (X9.58) for today’s SNAP card-based EBT system.
Today, Ted joins the SEMTAC team to support grocers in navigating the SNAP Online application process—from beginning to end. He understands the systems, the technology, and more, as he’s been there. And on the rare occasion he doesn’t know an answer, he prides himself on being tenacious to find a solution, stating “there is ALWAYS a solution, we just have to find it.”
