In 1994, Emily Ray, Inc. (ERI) began on the front porch of a 1930's farm house in South Carolina. The farm was my dad's get away place where he would spend his days gardening. He gave up his haven so that I could move my family and company there while getting ERI started. After a couple of years, the 1700 square foot house…including the front porch…was getting pretty tight, especially in the summer months when my three children were out of school and 8 employees were trying to work.

Emily Ray, Inc. has moved several times since then and Dad has his farm back which he has named "The Blessed Earth Farm". He lives there year round and the gardens are a little piece of heaven on earth. My children have grown up and moved out on their own and ERI has a great modern facility in the city of Spartanburg with lots of elbow room.

However, with the tremendous growth, I still like to refer to Emily Ray, Inc. as home… home to 45 wonderful associates that I have the privilege of working with everyday and consider family. They share my vision of ERI and the mission I set out for so many years ago. Of course my love and passion is designing jewelry, but my number one mission and vision for Emily Ray, is to build a company that fosters an environment in which everyone who is a part of it, feels like family and has a place of employment in which they enjoy…a company where each knows they are appreciated and important to making ERI work. Our product starts with a design…but that design is nothing without the skilled personal touch and attention to detail that every associate adds to it.

We are so blessed to have just celebrated our thirteenth year in business. My hope is that we will continue to grow in size and have the ability to expand into new product lines, but my dream is that ERI will always be that place that our associates will be proud to call their home away from home…that their positions here would enrich their lives and in turn the lives of their families.