Raymond was named ENR California’s 2024 Specialty Contractor of the Year!
This award reflects ENR editors’ evaluation of Raymond’s achievements, including our support for small and disadvantaged businesses and our certification as a Women’s Business Enterprise (WBE).
Factored into the award was Raymond’s commitment to encouraging women to become part of the industry through various initiatives, our 2023 revenue, our safety record and accomplishments (Raymond’s San Diego region completed three years without a recordable incident in 2023, and in 2024 our Northern California and Las Vegas regions completed one year incident free), and contributing projects like Horton Plaza San Diego, Intuit Dome in Inglewood, and Chicken Ranch Casino in Northern California.
Raymond proudly accepted four Walter F. Pruter Project of the Year awards by the Western Wall and Ceiling Contractors Association (WWCCA). Raymond accepted project awards for P28 in the Themework category, Chanel Rodeo (Retail), Acrisure Arena (EIFS), and Horton Plaza (Mixed-Use).
Raymond received four Association of the Wall and Ceiling Industry (AWCI) 2024 Excellence in Construction Quality Awards. These awards recognize outstanding performance in construction quality among all AWCI members across the U.S. and abroad. Projects awarded were Summit Clubhouse (Interior Plaster), Horton Plaza (EIFS), Chanel Flagship Boutique (Small Projects), and P28 (Stucco).
Raymond was named one of the 2024 Best Places to Work in Orange County and San Diego! This honor reflects our dedication to fostering a positive workplace and the hard work of our amazing team.
The Raymond Group was featured in The Engineering News-Record (ENR) Magazine’s annual Top 600 Specialty Contractors List, ranking 4th in the Wall & Ceiling category and 121st overall. The ENR Top 600 List includes specialty contractors from across the nation. Rankings are determined according to construction revenue in a prime or subcontracting capacity.
ENR announced their 2024 Regional Best Projects that honor the best construction projects and the companies that designed and built them. Raymond projects that were recognized include Sonoma Academy Community Performing Arts Center and UC Davis Orchard Park.
Raymond received an Award of Excellence by the National Fireproofing Contractors Association (NFCA) for Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California. In addition to fireproofing, Raymond performed framing, insulation, drywall, taping, sealants, GFRG, FRP, diamond plate, and temp protection.
8th & Figueroa is a new 42-story luxury residential tower located in the heart of Los Angeles’ revitalized Downtown Financial District. Featuring 438 units, it offers an array of community amenities including gardens, a resort-style pool, private cabanas, and a clubhouse. Additional facilities, such as an executive wellness center, resident lounge, collaboration spaces, and private dining areas, contribute to the luxurious living experience. Residents can also enjoy access to a roof lounge and multiple sky decks offering breathtaking views of the Financial District skyline, as well as vistas extending to the iconic Hollywood Hills and the Pacific Ocean.
Raymond was contracted by General Contractor Lendlease to perform a variety of scopes on the project from drywall and framing to intumescent fireproofing and Division 10 Specialties.
The 8th & Figueroa project team performed with problem solving, quality, and safety in mind. Raymond worked over 160,000 hours efficiently and safely, exemplifying Raymond’s safety culture and hazard resolution – This translates to over 20,000 safely worked man days, each representing the team’s dedication to returning each worker home safely at the end of the day.
The CSUF Visual Arts Center project included renovations to existing buildings and the addition of new state-of-the-art creative spaces, aiming to significantly upgrade the facilities for visual arts students and provide a more modern learning environment. Raymond completed framing, drywall, lath and plaster for C.W. Driver.
One of the focal points of this project regarding the plaster scope was the specialty soffits on the exterior of one of the buildings (Building G). As the main entrance to the campus’ art gallery, the owner and architect wanted the building to reflect the creativity that would be shown with the art pieces inside. The soffit in the Southeast corner of the building was a sloped and curved corner extruding about 28’ from the exterior wall, all sloping to an opening in the top to let light reflect on the landscaping below. The construction of this soffit required custom trims and joints to match the curve, while also keeping in mind the clean look of the rest of the building. Keeping with this design intent, the lath had to be installed perfectly with the plaster to limit any imperfections that would be easily spotted when the sun reflects on different parts of the curve.
Another area of focus was integrating Raymond’s plaster system with storefronts surrounding the first level of another building (Building H). This took major coordination between the two scopes to ensure the waterproofing of the two systems was tight and the clean, straight edge look of the building was achieved. Raymond developed a system to embed the exterior linear lighting into the soffits in the plaster, which ended up greatly complimenting the look of the building at night.
The new Sacramento County Courthouse is a 567,000-square-foot, 18-story building with a mechanical penthouse and 53 courtrooms. Raymond performed framing, sheathing, fireproofing, thermal insulation and acoustic insulation, Direct Applied Exterior Finish System, weather barriers, special plaster finish, and drywall for Clark Construction.
Raymond installed 8,000 lineal feet of prefabricated soffit panels of all shapes and sizes, along with raised platforms for judges and jury benches. The use of prefabrication on the project helped the project schedule and turned a complicated soffit system into an install-friendly system. The installation of the soffit system was virtually flawless with a 95% inspection pass rate.
The new nine-story Chicken Ranch Casino & Resort, located in Jamestown, California includes a 100,000 sq-ft casino, five restaurants and bars, a hotel with 197 rooms, luxury day spa, rooftop restaurant, and a 12,000-sq-ft conference and event center.
Raymond performed air and vapor barrier, insulation, EIFS, fiber cement panels, fireproofing, drywall, framing, and acoustical ceilings for Suffolk Construction.
Fontainebleau Las Vegas heralds a new era in luxury hospitality, anchored by a 67-story hotel tower with over 3,600 hotel rooms and suites. At the heart of the Las Vegas strip, the resort features a 150,000-square-foot casino, world-class dining, and vibrant entertainment and nightlife. Upon completion, it has become one of the tallest buildings in the city.
Raymond contributed over 1.2 million man-hours for W.A. Richardson at the hotel tower, theater, nightclub, and parking structure, as well as work across the property at areas including the convention center, bar and restaurants. Raymond remodeled all 3,600 rooms within the Fontainebleau tower.
A standout feature of the project lies in the intricate radius and elliptical ceilings and soffits at the hotel tower and nightclub. Raymond tackled the framing of the ceilings, overcoming challenges due to their unique shape. QML layout techniques were utilized to ensure precise framing, achieving a remarkable level of accuracy within a tolerance of just 1/8 inch.
Raymond executed a wide range of high-end finishes on the Fontainebleau resort, including Venetian plaster, gold and palladium leafing, and faux and lacquer paints. Each of these finishes added an extra layer of sophistication and luxury to the overall design.
The Spark by Hilton Las Vegas is set to open January 2025. Raymond’s scope of work has included prefabricated panels, metal framing, drywall, insulation, EIFS, acoustical ceilings, paint, and wallcovering for Martin Harris Construction.
IQHQ RaDD occupies six blocks and, at completion, represents the largest urban commercial waterfront site along the California coast. The life-science mixed-use development is comprised of mid-rise buildings, a 17-story tower, and ground floor retail, dining, and public space. Raymond performed metal stud framing, fireproofing, drywall, taping, plaster, and acoustic plaster for Turner Construction.
For the plaster scope, the uniqueness of the IQHQ design was seen in the angled portion of the building’s Roof Screen Wall and in the interior of the buildings. The lobbies received a smooth Texston finish as well as a raked finish that was created in the field by the Raymond plaster foreman and approved by the architectural team.
In regard to fireproofing, the development’s four buildings each required Z-106 at the garage levels, MK-10 at the project’s combined 34 floors, and Z-146 at all mechanical areas. Each building was constructed independently, and concurrently, from the next, meaning schedules overlapped creating additional challenges regarding loading, cleaning, and equipment. Five pumps were utilized throughout the project to spray the 60,000 bags required to meet the individual building schedules.
As of completion, Horton Plaza is the largest adaptive reuse project in the United States. The live, work, play campus is seven city blocks, 10 acres, and over 1 million square feet. In addition to being a renovation, six new floors were added to the largest of the buildings.
Raymond was contracted by Turner Construction Company to perform exterior and interior metal stud framing, drywall, insulation, taping, door frames, exterior EIFS systems (prefabricated panels), direct applied EIFS, fireproofing, scaffolding, rain screen systems with stone finish, and rough and finish carpentry.
The team was split into two groups to volunteer for two amazing causes.
The first group stayed at the office and dedicated their time to the Ace of Hearts Project. Volunteers assembled stuffed animals and handcrafted bookmarks to be donated, along with books, to children in need.
The second group visited CHOC Hospital, where they worked diligently to put together 100 ‘Smile Boxes’ in collaboration with Farmhouse Rescue. These special boxes are given to children at the beginning of their oncology treatments, offering a source of comfort and cheer during a challenging time.
Sean Michel – 30 years
Michael Potter – 25 years
Matt Amador – 25 Years
Darrel Jones – 20 Years
Jose Montero – 20 Years
Kelly Black – 20 Years
Felipe Mendoza – 10 Years
Meikai Shea – 10 Years
Michael Walker – 10 Years
Nick Bernal – 5 Years
Michelle Icenogle – v5 Years
Jose Mota – 5 Years
Katie Watton – 5 Years
Renee Leatherwood – 5 Years
Jan Jensen – 5 Years
Diana Devora – 5 Years
Jill Reilly – 5 Years
Michael Null – 5 Years
Teresa Romero – 5 years
Aran Carlton – 5 years
Miguel Quiroz – 40 years
Kevin T. O’Brien – 35 years
Marcos Duenas – 35 years
Chuck McKirnan – 35 years
Gilberto Ortega – 35 years
Jose Zuniga – 30 years
Noe Ambriz – 30 years
Blady Ambriz – 30 years
Frank Burns – 30 years
Javier Hernandez – 25 years
Rich Rannis – 25 years
Octavio Garcia – 25 years
Carlos Aldrete – 25 years
Hector Ochoa – 25 years
Everardo Orozco – 25 years
Octavio Garcia Jr “Pollo” – 25 years
Victor Aguilar – 25 years
Antonio Estrada – 25 years
Randy Centanni – 25 years
Genaro De Leon – 25 years
Jose Huerta – 25 years
Javier Carbajal – 25 years
German Rodriguez – 20 years
Thor Meling – 20 years
Alfredo Sanchez – 20 years
Jaime Romero – 20 years
Javier Aguilar – 20 years
Beto Huizar – 20 years
Jorge Fregoso – 20 years
Manny Magallanes – 20 years
Manuel Garcia – 20 years
Mike Lewis – 20 years
Abid Guerrero – 15 years
Tyler Jensma – 15 years
Paul Feague – 15 years
John Sloan – 15 years
Jason Bell – 10 years
Jose Leal – 10 years
Colt Meling Jr. – 10 years
Stone Meling – 10 years
Melecio Uribe – 10 years
Nathan Cruz – 5 years
Anthony Vargas – 5 years
Macos Barrientos – 5 years
Jorge Carrera – 5 years
Joshua Esparza – 5 years