- Harrigill of The Sunray Companies shares his journey and mission of helping others succeed.
Around Christmas-time 1993, Ray Harrigill’s father-in-law-to-be, “Doc” Sethi, recruited him to run 26 Pizza Inns in Arkansas, Tennessee, and Alabama for Jackie’s International. The offer came when Harrigill had one semester left at the Mississippi College School of Law.
“It was a crazy moment in time,” recalled Harrigill.
To manage the workload, Harrigill split his last semester into two, graduating in December.
“When I started, I had no supervisors,” he said. “It was just me and 26 managers and lots of daily challenges. I had all this education, but I didn’t know the first thing about actually working with people. It was a tremendously valuable chapter.”
In January 1995, Harrigill joined Jackie’s International full time. In December 1996, he and his wife, Monica Sethi Harrigill, co-founded Madison-based The Sunray Companies LLC, an award-winning, full-service hospitality, retail, and real estate development company. They started with one restaurant, Bumper’s Drive-In, on Cherry Road in South Jackson, which they acquired from Sethi.
MY SALON Suites
Now Harrigill, a successful entrepreneur, is creating space for other aspiring entrepreneurs. In 2020, he began developing MY SALON Suites in Ridgeland. Since then, he’s expanded the franchise to other cities in Mississippi and Louisiana.
“When we looked at the MY SALON Suites model, it met our test to enhance lives and is in line with the values of our company,” said Harrigill, president of The Sunray Companies. “MY SALON Suites gives us the opportunity to help entrepreneurial beauty professionals get started in business versus renting a chair at someone’s salon. Instead, they can rent a suite from us for pretty much the same price, or very close, and then they own their own business.”
Because Harrigill is a licensed general contractor, the company builds out and maintains MY SALON Suites.
“We own the MY SALON Suites building in Ridgeland, and had additional space, so we’re adding 10 more suites,” he said. “It’s done so well that we have a waiting list. We’ll have that expansion finished before the end of the year.”
Harrigill, who earned his undergraduate degree and an MBA from Millsaps College, has, with Monica, grown The Sunray Companies to 40 businesses, including 14 Massage Envy locations, Hampton Inn & Suites and Holiday Inn Express & Suites-branded hotels, Bumpers Drive-In restaurants, and Palm Beach Tan salons.
One franchise business didn’t pan out.
“We opened our first Blockbuster in 2000, and closed our last Blockbuster in 2012,” said Harrigill. “One of their executives left to start franchising at Palm Beach Tan. He called me and that’s how I got into that business.”
Starting at Zero
The Sunray Companies now employ 670 people, overseen by a corporate executive staff of 18.
“I’ve been in and out of different businesses over the years that didn’t play out long term the way I’d hoped,” he said.
“You have to pivot and adjust.”
On the company website is a “Big, Hairy Audacious Goal: Enhance 40 million lives by 2035, while positively impacting our communities and team members. Current lives enhanced: over 12 million.”
Detailed goals, outlined for different divisions, have been an impactful part of the business plan, said Harrigill.
“It’s an aggressive, stretch goal that would require additional growth,” he said. “Growth certainly has accelerated. The challenge in business is always the people element.”
Deep Enterprising Roots
In mid-summer, Harrigill lost his father, Don Harrigill, 84, who suffered from Parkinson’s disease.
“My father was an entrepreneur,” he said. “So was his father.”
Don Harrigill owned Harrigill Postal Service and OK Welding Company, both started by his father, D.B. Harrigill. Don also owned Harrigill Trucking Company, Harrigill Refuse Service, and Hartman-Henderson (Harrigill) Funeral Home in Brookhaven.
“My dad always told me when I was growing up, ‘when you get up in the morning and you’re putting your shoes on, do you want to work for yourself or somebody else?’ It certainly forms who I am and the way I think,” he said.
The Harrigills have 26-year-old twins who also share an entrepreneurial spirit. Tori Harrigill, also a Millsaps graduate, is a tax attorney in Houston, Texas. Max Harrigill, MD, is an ophthalmologist in his third year of residency in Oklahoma City, Okla.
