Pursuing Greatness: Couple Challenges Themselves to Perform at the Highest Level

Name: Ray and Monica Harrigill
Title: President/Founder & Managing Member/Co-Founder
Company: The Sunray Companies
No. of units: 19 Palm Beach Tan, 12 Massage Envy, 3 My Salon Suite, 5 Hampton Inn & Suites, 1 Home2 Suites, 1 Holiday Inn Express & Suites
Ages: Ray, 56, Monica, 55
Family: Twin children, Max and Tori, 26,
Years in franchising: 37
Years in current position: 29

Ray and Monica Harrigill are the Spirit of Franchising MVPs (Most Valuable Performers) for extraordinary and enduring performance, growth, and community giving.

At the core of every successful organization is a foundation and set of principles that guide its daily operations. Having a strong system in place can positively impact employees and customers and lead to profitability and growth. Ray and Monica Harrigill’s commitment to a set of core values and processes led them to be named the Spirit of Franchising MVPs this year. 

Ray first met Monica in college, and the two got engaged several years later. He then left law school to work for her father, who owned several food and hospitality brands. He worked there for three years before becoming a franchisee himself by purchasing a single restaurant from his father-in-law. As Ray started a lengthy journey in franchising, Monica partnered with her husband in their business while also continuing to work for her father.

When Monica joined Ray’s franchise operation in a full-time role in 2015, she enrolled in the Harvard Business School’s Owner/President Management program. The three-year course teaches operational excellence for business leaders and their organizations. The program played a pivotal role in shaping the culture, systems, and long-term strategy of the Harrigills’ business, which helped them achieve profitability.

“Although we had previously implemented elements of these strategies, the program gave me the road map and discipline to fully integrate them into our business,” Monica says. “The OPM experience is not just about learning; it’s about building a cohesive strategy for continuous growth, innovation, and leadership development.”

By further adopting the standards of the Harvard program into their operations, the Harrigills expanded their portfolio and grew the company to its current count of 41 hotel and wellness franchises. The principles of the program proved to be so vital to the core of their business operations that Ray is planning on enrolling in the course this fall. 

Ray and Monica prioritize building a strong culture through the consistent communication of values throughout the system. That is built through hiring and developing the right people, having daily conversations with team members, and processing feedback to understand what is working or what they can do better. Ray says the goal for operational excellence is a continual process and references the title of the couple’s favorite book in how they go about achieving the desired outcome.

“We want to take our business from good to great,” he says. “We don’t know if we’ll ever be great, but it is a continual process and pursuit we strive for each day.”

MVP QUESTIONS 

Why do you think you were recognized with this award? We believe this recognition stems from our unwavering commitment to enhancing the lives of our team members, customers, and the communities we serve. Our leadership is built on servant leadership and stewardship, ensuring that every decision aligns with our core values: We act, we excel, we empower, and we wow.

Beyond operating successful franchise brands, we have created systems and processes that drive both business growth and people development. These systems empower our teams to take ownership, innovate, and succeed. This award is not just about us; it belongs to the incredible team members who live our mission every day.

How have you raised the bar in your own company? We have elevated our organization by instilling a culture-first, people-centric approach to business. We created a structured development path that has helped countless team members rise through the ranks into leadership positions. Additionally, we focus on operational excellence through technology, leveraging AI for automation, streamlining processes, and improving customer engagement. We are constantly fine-tuning our operations using kaizen principles, ensuring continuous improvement in efficiency and customer experience.

What innovations have you created and used to build your company?

•  Sunray Performance Systems. We use structured hiring, training, and performance management processes that ensure team members are aligned with our culture and operational excellence.
•  AI and technology integration. We leverage AI-driven automation for accounting, communication, and operational efficiency, allowing our teams to focus on customer service and leadership.
•  Sunray Leadership Academy. We have a structured program for developing future leaders from within, reducing turnover and improving franchise-wide consistency.
•  Flywheels for growth. We have developed and refined core business flywheels that drive efficiency, accountability, and long-term sustainability across our brands.

What core values do you think helped you win this award?

•  We act. We take the initiative and move with purpose.
•  We excel. We strive for excellence in every aspect of our business.
•  We empower. We create opportunities for our people to grow and lead.
•  We wow. We deliver an outstanding service that exceeds expectations.

By focusing on enhancing lives through leadership, innovation, and accountability, we have built a culture where franchise success and people development go hand in hand.

How important is community involvement to you and your company? We actively support local charities, mentorship programs, and team-driven community service initiatives with a focus on organizations that serve women and children. We have donated more than $524,000 to Canopy Children’s Solutions and Children’s Hospital of Mississippi through 2024. Our commitment to the community extends beyond charitable giving. It is ingrained in how we operate our businesses, ensuring we positively impact every market we serve.

What leadership qualities are important to you and your team?

•  Culture-first mentality. We focus on building an organization where people and purpose come first.
•  Service-centric leadership. We lead by example and put the needs of others ahead of personal gain.
•  Transparency and ethics. Honesty and integrity are nonnegotiable in every decision we make.
•  Accountability and execution. We ensure that we not only set high expectations, but also deliver on them.

Our leadership approach is not about managing, but about developing future leaders. This is why mentorship, training, and empowerment remain our top priorities.

PERSONAL (Ray unless otherwise noted)

First job: Cleaning up in my parents’ welding shop and as a newspaper delivery boy. 

Formative influences/events: My grandparents and parents were entrepreneurs and stressed the importance of hard work and education.

Monica: I grew up in an immigrant family that came to the U.S. before I was born. We were pushed to work harder and study harder than anyone else. This was very formative as I grew up.

Key accomplishments: Building a diverse company that enhances the lives of our team members and those we serve. Having a wonderful marriage, business partner, and great kids.

Biggest current challenge: Identifying opportunities that are right for the size of our company.

Next big goal: Our company wants to enhance 40 million lives by 2035. That includes reaching customers, team members, guests, and others through our community involvement. It will require dramatic growth as we estimate we are currently at 14 million. We want to deliver a wow experience and make a meaningful difference in their lives. 

First turning point in your career: When I decided not to practice law and went to work for my father-in-law to learn about franchise operations.

Monica: In 2002, I recognized the importance of creating systems and processes to support growth. I realized that success wasn’t about what I could accomplish alone, but about building a strong team and empowering others to thrive.

Best business decision: Leaving the comfort of working for my father-in-law and starting our own business. 

Monica: Going to Harvard Business School’s Owner/President Management program 10 years ago. It was transformative in so many ways.

Hardest lesson learned: Risk is real, and not all businesses work out like you think they will.

Work week: 60 hours most weeks. Sometimes more or less.

Exercise/workout: Five days a week. Strength workouts and flexibility routines. 

Best advice you ever got: My father told me to pursue professional training and degrees. 

What’s your passion in business? I love seeing an idea come to life.

How do you balance life and work? I never think of it that way. They happily co-exist, and I am lucky to be able to work with my best friend and partner every day. 

Guilty pleasure: Watching movies.

Favorite book: Good to Great by Jim Collins.

Favorite movie: “The Usual Suspects.”

What do most people not know about you? I like cars.

Pet peeve: Indifference and a lack of attention to detail.

What did you want to be when you grew up? A Wall Street executive.

Last vacation: A trip to Paris and Sicily in the summer of 2024.

Person you’d most like to have lunch with: Both sets of my grandparents. I would like to hear their story from my perspective today rather than as a child. 

MANAGEMENT

Business philosophy: Invest your energy and effort in a business that enhances the lives of your team members and the guests you serve.

Management method or style: Focused on people, processes, and accountability. We emphasize people first and processes second followed by performance.

Greatest challenge: Maintaining and attracting great new talent in a new age.

How do others describe you? Persistent and consistent with love for people.

Have you ever been in a mentor-mentee relationship? What did you learn? Learning is a lifelong pursuit, and we learn lessons from everyone around us daily. We mentor and learn constantly.

One thing you’re looking to do better: Draw in top-tier talent that complements where we are in our growth cycle and flywheel.

How you give your team room to innovate and experiment: Provide clear expectations and allow them to succeed or fail. We celebrate success and don’t punish failure. We have developed our flywheels and subflywheels. The team owns these and stays aligned. We also have great coaches who help us adhere to John D. Rockefeller’s principles for scaling up.

How close are you to operations? We are both very close to operations. We have our own lanes so that we are not trying to do the same job. 

What are the two most important things you rely on from your franchisor? Building a strong brand that drives customer traffic and a framework for profitability. We also have great franchisors when it comes to the brands we operate today.

What you need from vendors: Honest dealings and a high-value proposition for their goods and/or services.

Have you changed your marketing strategy in response to the economy? How? Marketing strategies require constant evolution to be relevant to the consumer and current environment. Effective marketing requires constant adjustments. Things have become so digital, and it is critical to know how your market is shifting constantly. 

How is social media affecting your business? This is an evolving area. We could not grow and operate without professional marketing management. We have an in-house team led by Amber Sukhbaatar, who works with our brands to adjust strategy and tactics based on our local markets.

How are you using technology, like AI, to manage your business? We are using AI tools for increased automation, communication, and accuracy. We continue to look for more ways to automate accounting and all nonguest-facing areas.

How do you hire and fire? We follow a very structured approach of the 3-3s, which are part of our Sunray Performance Systems with three interviews, three reference checks, and a three-hour shadow day to identify team members who match our culture. We give our team members every opportunity to grow and improve. While we follow a progressive discipline and communication framework, terminations are generally related to either a poor culture fit or a lack of performance. 

How do you train and retain? We invest a lot in our training system and have built a path of progress for all team members. This includes in-unit training as well as off-site training, which is part of our Sunray leadership academy for our leaders and team members exhibiting a desire for growth. We believe that this level of communication, teaching, and engagement is the key to our elevated retention numbers and declining turnover numbers.

How do you deal with problem employees? We overcommunicate to give every team member an opportunity to improve and help us meet our core purpose of enhancing lives. If they are ultimately unwilling or unable to do the job, we part company. However, we recognize that often the loss of a team member is a failure in our hiring process or training process.

Fastest way into your doghouse: Not embracing our mission to enhance lives through serving others. 

BOTTOM LINE

Annual revenue: Including real estate holdings, approximately $50 million. 

2025 goals: Open our first location of our own branded, fully automated, climate-controlled storage facility, Storage Nutz. We are also focused on sharpening the way we recruit and hire. We will continue our scaling-up focus and focus on our flywheels. We will continue to empower our executive team to lead.

Growth meter: How do you measure your growth? Ultimately, in EBIDTA, net operating income, and free cash flow while maintaining high guest scores (NPS), and team member satisfaction scores (eNPS).

Vision meter: Where do you want to be in five years? 10 years? Maintaining and growing our free cash flow while reinvesting in our core assets and our team members. We will continue to grow in our current brands and continue to look for new brands that fit in with our core values.

Do you have brands in different segments? Why/why not? Yes. Our diversity is our number one strength in weathering shifts in the economy. We operate both Hilton and IHG hotels in the hospitality space; Palm Beach Tan and Massage Envy in the personal services/retail space; and My Salon Suite in the retail/real estate space.

How is the economy in your region(s) affecting you, your employees, your customers? Our core revenue growth is currently flat to slightly positive. This requires us to tighten our costs.

Are you experiencing economic growth in your market? No, as noted above, we are flat to slightly positive for our comparable locations. 

How do changes in the economy affect the way you do business? Over the past two years, we have all seen costs rise, and interest rates and insurance costs have skyrocketed. With revenues flat, it has reminded us to go back to the basics and look for inefficiencies and apply kaizen to our processes. Our leadership team is owning a back-to-the-basics mentality and is looking for all avenues of efficiency.

How do you forecast for your business? We see continued growth in acquisitions and new unit openings. In most of our existing businesses, we are above the system average in revenue and profitability. Additional growth is possible but at a slower pace. 

What are the best sources for capital expansion? Your own capital is always the best. Responsible debt from banks, credit unions, and SBA-backed lenders is advisable for growth. 

Experience with private equity, local banks, national banks, other institutions? Why/why not? We don’t recommend private equity and limited partners for growth. 

What are you doing to take care of your employees? We try to add additional benefits every year. This includes competitive pay for our markets, 401(k), enhanced vacation/PTO policy, health insurance, discounts across all brands, and incentives, like contests and trips as well as a team member relief fund that we are introducing this year. Our leadership team is focused on this yearly and evaluates where we are and the enhancements that need to be made.

How are you handling rising employee costs (payroll, minimum wage, healthcare, etc.)? We are making small price increases where possible and cutting costs without impacting the customer experience. 

What laws and regulations are affecting your business, and how are you dealing with them? We have regulatory pressure in some of the lines of business we are in. We deal with them one issue at a time as some are unpredictable. We also have lobbyists on retainer in the two states in which we operate. They’ve helped pass legislation that supports our massage therapy community and addresses any harmful legislation that negatively impacts not just us, but our community and industry partners too.

How do you reward/recognize top-performing employees? We celebrate success in our organization at all levels. This includes all levels of team members as well as top performers. We operate with a balanced scorecard for all divisions and reward performers at every level monthly. Our incentive plans allow us to reward performers, and we are always focused on how we help them reach their goals and potential.

What kind of exit strategy do you have in place? We are building a strong senior-level management team with defined systems and processes that will allow us to be involved in an advisory capacity in the future. A self-management structure will also allow us to sell our position to others if needed.