The Raymond Group began operations in 1936 as one of Southern California’s original lath and plaster companies. Today the firm has grown into one of the regional wall and ceiling industry’s leading design-assist, specialty finish and theming contractors.
Still headquartered in Orange, Calif., the company now has offices in San Diego, Northern California and Las Vegas. And Raymond is poised to grow further, with the company tallying $335 million in 2023 revenue, up 11 percent from 2022, according to the Top Specialty Contractors survey submitted to ENR California.
The firm is also majority women-owned and operated as the granddaughters of founder George Raymond—Kirsten Potter and Nicolle Winsor—took over the operations in 2017. Earlier this year Raymond became certified as a Women’s Business Enterprise (WBE) by the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC).
The firm extends its commitment to encouraging women to become part of the industry by participating in the Future Construction Leaders Foundation (FCL) Camp for Teen Girls.
These are among the factors ENR editors considered in naming The Raymond Group as the 2024 California Specialty Contractor of the Year.
In recent years, Raymond has taken part in some of Southern California’s most ambitious projects, including the Intuit Dome, 8th and Figueroa and the New Sacramento Courthouse. By its work on such projects, the firm has built strong relationships with numerous prime contractors, such as Turner Construction.
A showcase example of Raymond’s work is Horton Plaza San Diego, a LEED Platinum live, work, play campus. The firm handled fireproofing, prefabricated exterior panels, framing, drywall, insulation, EIFS, plaster and decorative wood. On the Chicken Ranch Casino in Jamestown, Calif., Raymond performed air and vapor barrier, insulation, EIFS, fiber cement panels, fireproofing, drywall, framing and acoustical ceilings for Suffolk Construction.
On the safety front, Raymond’s San Diego region completed 3 years without a recordable incident in 2023, and in 2024 the firm's Nor Cal and Vegas region completed one year incident free.
The company will be profiled in the Dec. 16, 2024, print edition of ENR California, which will also include the annual California and Northwest Top Specialty Contractors rankings.
