When Ray Glymph moved to Morgantown in 2011 for school, his plan was to study industrial engineering, but he would eventually discover that wasn’t what he really wanted. He decided to quit school to pursue his dream of entrepreneurship.
In doing so, he has opened several companies in the Morgantown area, some of which he has since sold, many of which he still owns and operates today.
And, he even has some in the works for the future.
In 2020, Glymph’s business Get Fit Juices and Shakes, which he recently sold, won the West Virginia 40 Under 40 New Business of the Year Award. Glymph said being a leader in the entrepreneurial space as a whole means a lot to him.
“You know, there is not a lot of Black entrepreneurship,” Glymph said. “It speaks volumes to be able to operate in a town where there are not a lot of Black entrepreneurs, there’s not a lot of influencers, and to be able to be one of those voices to help a lot of the youth as well as people in this space.”
Currently, Glymph is involved primarily in the bar and restaurant scene in Morgantown. For several years he has owned and operated 4th & Goal Sports Bar, 234 Walnut St. in downtown Morgantown, and Scorer’s Sports Bar and Restaurant, 201 Holland Ave. in Westover.
Glymph said in addition to the two restaurants, he also operates a small handyman and construction company, Handy Helpers, and is heavily involved in real estate.
While he’s found success today, Glymph’s journey has not been an easy one by any means. Growing up with humble beginnings in Brooklyn, N.Y., Glymph strives to use his good fortune to help others in the community.
“When I moved to Morgantown I was dirt poor. I didn’t really have a home, per se. At one point in my early childhood, around 13 — my teenage years — we were actually homeless, my family was homeless,” Glymph said. “So being able to give back to the community in any way has always had a big value to me.”
And give back he does. Glymph owns several properties in town and tries to find and provide affordable housing for tenants. He also works with a local nonprofit that provides assistance in whatever ways it can.
“We donate backpacks to children, we do turkey drives. It’s all in the name of helping people out in the community,” Glymph said, adding, “as far as low-income housing, I’ve actually funded that myself.”
Being a Black entrepreneur, Glymph may have had to jump a few hurdles not seen by others, in order to make his success possible.
“I think the biggest obstacle was the network, or lack thereof network, and opportunity to get into certain spaces. Sometimes being a Black male, it’s kind of something that is not seen every day — a Black man with opportunity,” he said. “There is always that stereotype I sense, and being able to break that stereotype of not just being some guy off the street, but someone with an entrepreneurial mindset, has definitely helped in pursuing success.”
While Glymph is one of only a handful of Black business owners in Morgantown, he doesn’t want that to be what the community focuses on.
“I don’t want to say Black-owned business, I want to say let’s support all small business,” he said. “With Morgantown being a tight-knit community, it’s a very small town compared to a bigger city, we should be able to support our smaller businesses, our neighbors.
“So I would always encourage people to shop locally and shop small, because those are the people that are going to invest back into the community. I look at it as every dollar that I gain is a dollar I reinvest back into the community.”
He said it is also important to him to pay his employees above federal minimum wage and above cost of living, and has always established his businesses to do that.
Glymph’s reinvestment is seen through the jobs he is providing, the housing he is providing (and funding), and so much more.
Glymph also offers coaching to young entrepreneurs and occasionally speaks in WVU Business and Administration classes. He believes helping to educate others is important and hopes to continue using what he has learned over the years to help teach others in the community.
“I love when people come and ask me questions about how to get into the business,” Glymph said. “Just being able to influence and educate those around us and being able to help them reach their goals — see, that’s a huge inspiration, a huge influence for me to keep going as well.”
Glymph hopes to inspire future generations of entrepreneurs in Morgantown by continuing to lead, mentor and give back.
“One thing I first noticed when I moved here, the people were very friendly, very open-minded. Morgantown is a great place for people to grow, entrepreneurs to get a start or even a head start. I feel in Morgantown if you have an idea and you want to pursue it, it is very easy to start a business here and a career off of your idea.”
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