In June 1958 Ray
Mirra was born to Raymond and Dolores Mirra in the working-class neighborhood of
South Philadelphia, where Raymond Sr. worked as an electrician’s assistant. Determined
to find an environment more suitable for raising three young children, the
Mirra family moved shortly after Ray’s birth to the suburb of Blackwood, New
Jersey, where Raymond Sr. secured a
job in a plastics factory.
Ray proved to be industrious and resourceful at a
young age, taking various jobs during high school to help his family. In fact,
Ray’s first job was at his Uncle Ralph’s pharmacy-where he began sharpening his
skills and industry knowledge that would later contribute to the success of his
pharmacy venture.
After graduating high school in Blackwood, Ray
declined offers to attend Temple and Rutgers University, opting instead to
matriculate at the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy. However, Ray soon
determined he preferred working in the pharmacy business rather than learning
about it in the classroom, and consequently left pharmacy college in 1977 to
begin working at Hahnemann Hospital in Philadelphia as a pharmacy technician.
Working primarily in “infusion” or intravenous
therapy, Ray’s ten years at Hahnemann laid the groundwork for success in his
future ventures.
In addition to his work at Hahnemann, Ray began
managing Pier 30, Philadelphia’s only indoor tennis club. Shortly after taking
over Pier 30’s operations, Ray implemented hospital tennis leagues open to
doctors and hospital employees. What initially began as a small network from
Hahnemann rapidly expanded to other hospitals in Philadelphia and throughout
the tri-state area.
In 1987, Ray left Hahnemann to start his first
company, which primarily focused on the intravenous delivery of medication and
attendant care. Among other reasons, Ray’s first company became profitable
because he was able to successfully leverage his contacts from Pier 30 and
Hahnemann to personally solicit accounts.
Since his first venture, Ray has successfully
founded and developed several companies that provide specialty pharmacy
services to patients with rare blood and neurological disorders. He is also
involved in the development of new drugs and diagnostic tests such as: A
culture to diagnose Lyme Disease and a genetic test for head and neck cancer in
smokers.
Ray’s business pursuits extend beyond the medical
services industry, as he is an investor in Philadelphia restaurants as well as
the owner of a start-up company that deposits precious metal into leather.
Fortunately, Ray has not been reticent to share the
fruits of his success with others. In addition to employing over 400 people,
his philanthropic efforts are widely known in and around the Philadelphia area.
In November 2011, for instance, Ray helped to raise over $200,000 at a
fundraiser for West Catholic High School, a financially challenged institution
on the verge of closing. The money raised through Ray’s actions paid for
students’ tuitions and helped maintain existing facilities, ensuring West
Catholic’s promising future.
During his fundraising efforts for West Catholic,
Ray became friendly with West Catholic teacher and priest Michael Marrone.
During their conversations, Fr. Marrone shared his vision for an inner-city
Catholic institution focused on developing high school students who demonstrate
the potential for academic and professional success but lack the resources to
continue their education. Moved by Father Mike’s enthusiasm, Ray put the wheels
in motion, securing classroom space, hiring a Head of Education, and compiling
a Board of Directors featuring such notable Philadelphians as District Attorney
R. Seth Williams., this endeavor became Ligouri Academy.
