At Raymond, we have outstanding employees, so we decided to feature some of them on our blog. Our next Employee Spotlight features Marco (Michi) Cervantes, General Foreman for Raymond’s Northern California region. Michi has been in the construction industry for 19 years, and with Raymond for 10. He recently completed work at the New Sacramento Courthouse project and is now contributing his expertise to The Gateway, UC Berkeley’s new building for CDSS, the Division of Computing, Data Science and Society.
We sat down with Michi to learn more about him and his time at Raymond.
What brought you into the construction industry? I came from a small town in Mexico and when I would travel to nearby big cities, I was always interested in the tall buildings and the process of building them.
What do you like most about working in construction? It allows me to be hands-on, solve problems creatively, and collaborate with a team to build something real and lasting. Every project is different, which keeps the work exciting, and I take pride in contributing.
What have been the most significant changes that you have seen over your years in the industry? One of the major changes is the technology. A good example is the use of Dusty Robot — It does the layout we used to do by hand.
Three words to describe Raymond: One big family.
What has been your favorite project with Raymond and why? The new Sacramento Courthouse. It was the most challenging job in my career. I grew a lot as a foreman and learned many new things along the way.
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.
What current project(s) are you working on with Raymond? UC Berkeley Gateway.
Raymond is performing framing, drywall/sheathing, insulation, taping, acoustical plaster, scaffold, GFRG, structural engineering, and BIM for Turner Construction. The Gateway project is 380,000 square feet and includes research laboratories, offices, meeting rooms, classrooms, a public café, a gallery, and an event space.
What’s the best thing about your job? I like that I can interact with a lot of people and build a lot of cool stuff. Seeing it all come together is truly rewarding.
What is your proudest moment at Raymond? Being selected as Foreman of the Year 2024.
What do you like doing when you’re not at work? I like off-roading, trying new restaurants, and watching movies.
Favorite thing to do? I love to travel and learn about the culture of new places.
What inspires you? I’m inspired by setting goals and working hard to achieve them. The sense of accomplishment when I reach my goals keeps me motivated to aim even higher.
What’s one thing you couldn’t live without? My family.
What is the best place you have traveled to and why? Dubai. It was a unique experience, with high rises all around, of different shapes and heights. I was also able to experience being inside one of the tallest buildings in the world — It was an unforgettable trip.
What country do you want to visit but haven’t? Japan. I want to experience the culture, nature, and the food.
What meal could you eat every day? Ceviche.
How do you balance your career and your family? Even with a busy schedule, I make sure the time I spend with my family is meaningful. I also strive to be productive and efficient at work to maximize my time.