Page 18 - BusinessWest August 4, 2025

Digging In
J.L. Raymaakers & Sons Adds Hydro Excavation to Its Services
BY JOSEPH BEDNAR
[email protected]
Josh Raymaakers (left) and John Raymaakers Jr., who will be
the company’s majority owners at the start of 2026.
For Josh Raymaakers, one of the partners at J.L. Raymaakers &
Sons Inc., moving toward hydro excavation just makes sense for
a construction company that does as much site work and civil
engineering as this one does.
“A lot of people are moving toward this,” he said. “Usually, with
an excavator, digging with a bucket, there’s the potential to disturb
utilities. With hydro excavation, you’re using a vacuum and water or
air to break up the aggregate material. So, basically, there’s no way
to disturb existing utilities or damage them.”
While the technique isn’t new, he noted that utility companies
like Eversource and National Grid, as well as water companies that
maintain aging water mains, increasingly prefer hydro excavation
within a few feet of their lines. That’s why J.L. Raymaakers & Sons
now has a hydro excavating truck it can bring to its various projects,
and has been promoting the firm’s return to this technique.
“We used to have a truck for this, and we got out of it,” Josh
explained. “Now, we do some fiber and gas work for the city of
Westfield and all the emergency water and sewer work, and they’re
pushing us to do this with the [hydro excavation] truck. It’s just
something we’re getting back into.”
It’s just another example of pivoting and evolving to meet chang-
ing needs and opportunities — a concept anything but foreign to a
company that launched almost three decades ago as a two-person
outfit — that would be John and
Josh’s parents, John and Lau-
rie Raymaakers — focused on
driveway crack sealing, which
Hydro
Continued on page 20 >>
“With hydro
excavation, you’re
using a vacuum
and water or
air to break up
the aggregate
material. So,
basically, there’s
no way to disturb
existing utilities or
damage them.”
Staff Photo
Hydro Excavation Services
(413) 562-0601
Let Us Keep Your
1106 East Mountain Road, Westfield, MA 01085
Safe, clean and precise digging around utilities
Project On Track!
WWW.RAYMAAKERS.COM
Available 24/7
CONSTRUCTION SERVICES OFFERED:
 We Meet Demanding
Schedules!
3
On time
3
On Budget
• Total Site Development
• Storm Water Management
• Pump Stations
• Utility Installation & Repair (water,
sewer, drainage)
• Mass DOT Certified
• Culverts and Bridges
• Steel Building Construction
• Sitework for Renewable Energy Projects
• Airport sitework, rehabilitation, civil
construction
• Bonding to $15M
Location Location
109 Falcon Dr, Westfield MA 01085
Phone Phone
413-562-0601
Commercial, Industrial, New Development Web Web
Call today to discuss your project needs!
www.raymaakers.com
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AUGUST 4, 2025
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