Greenville native leads import/export group
From Greenville to Hong Kong, Stark’s company is well known

by CHIP MABRY
DBJ Contributing Writer

James Dolph Stark III is the CEO of Ray’s Apparel, a California company that specializes in the production and wholesaling of prestige ready-made garments for major name brands including Ocean Pacific, Split, and Tommy. Mr. Stark, born in Greenville, attended Greenville High School before continuing his education at Ole Miss.

A communications major with an emphasis in film and TV production, Stark graduated in 1978. He stated “I really enjoyed my time at Ole Miss, says Stark. I was and still am active in the Kappa Alpha fraternity. Upon graduation I knew I had to get out of Mississippi to pursue my dreams of directing. California made perfect sense, so the day after graduation I packed my bags and left for the west coast. I didn’t have a job and I didn’t know anyone, but I knew I had to go where I could make it happen.”

Armed with determination and plenty of self-confidence, Stark took a job in the corporate offices of the GAP where he produced TV and radio spots for several years.

Then an amazing opportunity presented itself, though it wasn’t exactly what Stark expected. “I was offered the opportunity to negotiate manufacturing contracts in Mainland China. This wasn’t exactly my dream of filmmaking, but it turned out to be the best decision I ever made, ” Stark says. Stark was sent to nearby Palo Alto University for a crash course in Chinese.

After learning the basics of Mandarin and Cantonese, Stark was promoted to Director of overseas production for the GAP. As such Stark was responsible for the manufacturing and importing of all clothing that the GAP sold. He was now spending six months a year in China and Hong Kong, where he developed a reputation as a great negotiator and shrewd businessman.

Stark spent six years in this position before deciding to start his own import/export business in 1984. “I started a wholesale design fashion apparel company with several partners investing in the business. We had several major brands that were successful and in 1993 I bought my partners out, forming Ray’s Apparel,” says Stark.

Ray’s Apparel is under the umbrella of Ray’s Group headed by Mr. Cheung Wai Man and Dr. Yeung C.K. Kam. Stark’s time in China and Hong Kong working for the GAP served him well and it was relationships such as this that made for success. The Ray’s Group owns several high-end youth fashion lines. Ocean Pacific, 686, and Split are a few of the major brands produced.

“We’ve really gotten into the high end specialty sports market. We have surf, skate, and snowboard lines that are out of this world. We were a major sponsor of this years X-Games and we really keep our finger on the pulse of what’s happening in these sports by sponsoring surf and snowboard events,” Stark says.

Stark still maintains close ties to his Mississippi home, though running a company that has factories in three countries and thousands of employees leaves little free time. “I love coming back home. My daughter is a sophomore at Ole Miss and my son, who plays high school football, loves to come to the Grove,” says Stark.

Stark offers some advice for aspiring entrepreneurs “Find out what you love to do and then take the risk to do it. Don’t have any fear or hesitation. Jump on the opportunities you are given and give it all you have.” DBJ