Lola Wilburn has a personality as warm as a fresh-from-the-oven pie, and as sweet as the name of the company she founded in 2008, when she walked away from a 25-year corporate career to bake and market her creations full-time.

Inspired by her grandparents, Lola’s company actually began when she was a child, when she baked alongside her grandmother and saw the joy that comes from sharing food prepared with love. Blend the baking experience with “Sugar Pie,” her grandfather’s nickname for Lola when she was growing up, and you have the recipe for a successful business.

Before founding her bakery business, Lola worked as an Internal Quality Auditor for ISO 9000 Standards, Executive Administrator, and Corporate Facilities Manager, including managing 2.1 million square feet of space for a software company in North America (including Canada), with 30 direct reports and 200 indirect reports under her supervision.

Working for corporations allowed Lola to hone her business and management skills over a quarter-century, but she also indulged her passion for preparing food, studying culinary arts and participating in her first Wilton’s Cake class in Parkersburg, WV, in 1982.

She would often share homemade pies and treats with friends, colleagues, even her doctor’s office, a practice which eventually launched her new career.

With a desire to share joy and help others, Lola’s Sugar Pie Bakery also supports a number of community service organizations. Lola has volunteered for Dress for Success and MUST Ministries; her company donates quarterly to Hope House and N-Spire; and 2014 marked the third year Lola’s Sugar Pie Bakery supported Habitat for Humanity with 700 lbs. of turtles, requiring 200 lbs. of locally sourced pecans and Lola’s own handcrafted caramel.

Lola and her husband, Kenneth raised two sons, David and Daniel; and in her spare time Lola enjoys playing tennis and meeting people.

“Food is a great way to bring people together,” she says. And Lola’s Sugar Pie Bakery allows her to do just that.