At Raymond, we have outstanding employees, so we decided to feature some of them on our blog. Our next Employee Spotlight features Jose Montero, BIM Captain based out of our Orange County headquarters. Jose started with The Raymond Group 18 years ago in the field as a journeyman carpenter. Over the years he worked as a lead man and foreman, and three years ago moved into his current position in our Virtual Design & Construction (VDC) department.
We sat down with Jose to learn more about him and his time at Raymond.
What brought you into the construction industry? I had just graduated high school and was looking for a summer job. After a few short months, I knew this industry was meant for me, and I set goals to build my career.
What’s the best part of your job? The best thing about my job is constructing a building from start to finish within a model, and then witnessing it getting built in the field.
Are there any technologies you’ve been using on recent projects that you’d like to highlight? Robotic Layout came into play for me about six years ago when I was in the field laying-out our Wilshire Grand project in Los Angeles, and then again at our more recent SoFi Stadium project. At the time, we were using a device called QML, which allows us to layout arcs, polygons, and ellipses without a measuring tape.
When I came into the VDC department, I was introduced to a new robotic layout machine called Dusty Robotics. Dusty Robotics is BIM-driven robotic layout. Information is taken out of our BIM models and sent to the robot. A field foreman operates the robot as it prints lines on floors, walls, soffits, door openings, and mechanical openings. It’s pretty cool! It can also print panel numbers for our prefabricated Framecad panels. Raymond’s Sacramento Courthouse project is currently utilizing this technology to minimize field errors and excel the production of layout (pictured below).
What do you like doing when you’re not at work? I love spending time with my family and going to Disneyland. I also enjoy going to the beach, taking my kids on bike rides, and cooking on my grill.
What is something most people don’t know about you? That I’m an outdoorsman. I enjoy mountain biking, off-roading, snowboarding, and camping… and I’m good at all of it!
What’s one thing you couldn’t live without? My beautiful wife and two amazing sons. They are my motivation and drive to be a better version of myself on the daily… and of course my Sunday football! How about them Cowboys!
What inspires you? My family. They’re the ones that motivate me to get up every morning and kick ass at work!
How do you balance your career and your family? I set times where it’s strictly for family – I don’t answer calls or e-mails to make sure I’m 100% in the moment.
Three words to describe Raymond: Quality, Family and Respect.
Is there anything else you would like to tell us? Working with Raymond has been one of the biggest blessings that could have happened to me. I jump on every opportunity that Raymond offers me to better my future and career.
