Maribeth Absi, Senior Director of Human Resources at Raymond, Ryan DeLaney, VP Operations Raymond are presented the 2025 Manufacturer of the Year award by Commerce Chenango President and CEO Sal Testani  with award.(Submitted photo)

By Sophia Root

GREENE - This week Chenango County recognized the history and significance of the Raymond Corporation, headquartered in Greene.

Raymond is a brand of Toyota Material Handling and was honored as 2025 Manufacturer of the Year Award by Commerce Chenango. The award and event spotlighted the current impact and long business history of an impressive local company.

Raymond currently provides opportunities for about 2,000 employees in Chenango County. Operating from their campus in downtown Greene.

Raymond manufactures electric forklift trucks and provides enhanced technological solutions for warehouse and distribution operations. One in three forklifts sold in North America is either a Toyota or Raymond product.

On Thursday, Raymond held an event on campus for high school juniors and seniors for a day of education, advice and career insights. Ryan DeLaney, VP of Operations at Raymond presented an educational piece, there were associate presentations from Lee Moxley, Ashley Lyons, interactive booths, tours, and more.

Later that day, Raymond executives and community members gathered at the Northeast Classic Car Museum in Norwich to celebrate Raymond being selected as the 2025 Commerce Chenango Manufacturer of the Year.

The company received this award, as well as a citation from New York State Senator Peter Oberacker, in acknowledgment of their ongoing impact on the economic prosperity of Chenango County.

At the event, Commerce Chenango President and CEO Sal Testani said, “A company like Raymond doesn’t just make forklifts, they make opportunities for our entire community. To have an internationally traded company based here in Chenango County is an amazing opportunity for people to never have to leave our community and still work on tremendous products like Raymond forklifts.”

The company was founded in Greene, after George Raymond Sr. purchased a foundry (Lyon Iron Works) in 1922.

Throughout the century in Chenango County, Raymond gained many patents for innovative solutions, from the Double-Faced Wooden Pallet and the Hydraulic Hand Lift Truck to the first Narrow Aisle Truck.

The Raymond Corporation celebrated its 11th annual Manufacturing Day this week by welcoming young students and talented professionals to experience valuable career education.

The annual event has been celebrated by The Manufacturing Institute in partnership with the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) since 2012, with the official date landing on the first Friday of every October.

DeLaney, VP of Operations at Raymond sad, “Talented and creative minds are always needed in the supply chain workforce, which is why we host this yearly event. We want to support an environment for students to gain knowledge and envision a future career in manufacturing.”

For over a century, Raymond has worked tirelessly to create a future-forward organization focused on innovation and constant improvement.

“Investing in students and education is a crucial part of not only their future, but ours, too,” DeLaney said. “By inspiring and handing them an inside look into growing areas such as manufacturing, AI advancements and sustainability, we’re supporting the next talent that’s going to take our industry to the next level. In addition to our non-stop improvement, we are proud to be fueling the student's journey, as well.”

For more information about Manufacturing Day and Raymond’s training and solutions, visit www.raymondcorp.com.

The Raymond Corporation, a member of the Toyota Industries family of companies, is a leading global provider of best-in-class material handling products and intelligent intralogistics solutions.

Built on principles of innovation and continuous improvement for over 100 years, Raymond’s integrated automation, telematics, virtual reality and advanced energy solutions provide ways to optimize operations and bring warehouse and distribution operations performance.

Raymond electric forklift trucks are engineered to achieve increased productivity and efficiency. They are designed to provide ecological and economic benefits.

Raymond delivers solutions to material handling and logistics markets in North America and globally.