The Orange County Business Journal recently presented R&B Wire Products with the publication’s Family-Owned Business Award for companies with 31 to 100 employees.
“It’s a huge honor to be receiving this award on behalf of my family – specifically my father, Rick, and my late grandfather, Rea,” said third-generation Rawlins family member, Grant Rawlins, who accepted the award for the laundry cart manufacturer, headquartered in Santa Ana, Calif. “They are the ones who laid the foundation on which R&B stands.”
Rick Rawlins’s father, Rea, bought the business in 1966 for what he said was “a very small amount of money.”
“It was small enough to afford, but large enough that we saw potential,” Rick explained. “Fast forward to 2018 and laundry carts remain at the core of our business, which is now global.”
Two growth sectors currently expanding the company’s portfolio of products are the hospitality and healthcare arenas. In fact, R&B recently doubled its manufacturing and distribution operation to 60,000 square feet. Also, the company recently provided carts for the new Lido House hotel as part of builder Bob Olson’s (R.D. Olson Development) commitment to use locally sourced products whenever possible.
The Rawlins family supports KidWorks – a Santa Ana-based nonprofit that provides academic, spiritual, and leadership programs for underserved children and teens – with Rick currently serving as a member of the organization’s advisory board.
Grant worked a variety of jobs in the R&B Wire Products’ factory during summer breaks, while going to school. He graduated from Pepperdine University in Malibu, Calif., with a degree in integrated marketing communications.
