Founded fifty years ago by Ray and Linda Fulford, RaLin has a lifelong commitment to serving our clients. Though the name of our company is derived from our founders' own names, "ralin" in its literal translation means "well advised protector." Throughout our history, we've strived to be just that—for our clients, for our colleagues, and for our community. Throughout our history, we have developed a vast understanding of the building trade in the communities we live in and the neighbors we serve across the Southeast.
Sharing Vision, Values, and Purpose with the communities we serve in the building industry for over five decades.
Who we are
RaLin was founded in 1972 and remains headquartered in Carrollton, Georgia. Since 2005, RaLin, a majority owned female business, has been under the leadership of our President and CEO, Ben Garrett. Across 50 years of business, we have successfully completed projects throughout the US, primarily in the Southeast.
We Build Up
Our Values
- Transparency
- Growth-Mindedness
- Responsibility
- Gratitude
Mission
We are professional builders, dedicated to the fundamentals of construction, and grounded in a strong foundation, seeking to build up our clients’ dreams, the communities we serve, and each other.
Ray and Linda Fulford founded Ra-Lin & Associates, Inc.
1976
RaLin is growing. New office to expand and grow our RaLin team
1992
Ray Fulford promotes Ben Garrett to President of RaLin
2008
RaLin gets a new and improved brand and moves to new Carrollton office location.
2022
Leadership
Linda Fulford Founder
I'm a native Georgian and Carroll County resident for 57 years. My family, including my late husband and life partner Ray, daughters Kristi Garrett and Andrea Chapman, their husbands, and six grandchildren, is my cherished foundation. As Co-Founder of RaLin & Associates, I served as Vice-President from 1972-2014, transitioning to the Board of Directors since 2014. Active in community initiatives, I contributed to Tanner Medical Foundation Magnolia Ball and hold roles at First Baptist Church, The Spade and Trowel Garden Club, and The Hunt Girls Investment Club. Serving as President of The Fulford Family Foundation, I've been engaged in various leadership roles and community service, reflecting my passion for arts, travel, reading, gardening, and flower arranging.
Ben Garrett President/CEO
Ben began his career at RaLin as a field laborer in the summer of 1984. After high school, he attended Auburn University on an Air Force ROTC Scholarship and earned a Bachelor of Civil Engineering degree. In August of 1991, he returned to RaLin as an assistant project manager and held multiple leadership positions in various departments of the company until his appointment as President in 2005. Ben is an accomplished leader with deep practical experience combined with outstanding engineering and construction management knowledge.
Kristi Fulford Garrett Chief Marketing Officer
Kristi graduated from Auburn University with a bachelor’s degree in Marketing and has been an owner and employee of RA-LIN & Associates, Inc. since 2008. In 2021, after the sale of a sister company, she transitioned into a member of the RaLin Leadership team as Chief Marketing Officer. In addition to being a wife and mother of four, she serves as a community volunteer and serves as a board member on several non-profits.
Andrea Fulford Chapman Principal
Andrea graduated from Auburn University with degrees in Psychology and Zoology. After earning a BS in Nursing from Samford University in 1996 she began her career in the medical field focusing on surgical nursing. She worked in cardiac surgery at University of Alabama Birmingham and Intensive Care and General Surgery for Tanner Health Systems. In 2008 Andrea joined RaLin as a Principal offering a unique mindset to the organization. Andrea is a committed mother of two boys and serves her community by providing board leadership to non-profits.
Josh Chapman Principal
Josh began his career at RaLin in 2001 as a business developer through sister company Linco Development Company. While maintaining his leadership role in the Linco Companies Josh has integrated his experience in investment and finance to serve as Chief Investment Officer and Principal. He holds a BBA in Finance from the University of Georgia. Josh proudly serves his community as a Trustee of the University of West Georgia Foundation as well as other volunteer organizations.
Tres Jernigan Senior Vice President
Tres Jernigan, a professional Engineer with over 24 years of experience, serves as Senior Vice President at RaLin. Tres primarily focuses on strategic initiatives, as well, as business development with special focus in the healthcare and hospitality markets. Tres’ current priority is serving as President of Stratus Construction, LLC. Tres holds a B.S Degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Alabama and has a Professional Engineering license in the state of Alabama.
Brian Fritts Vice President of Construction
Brian is a veteran at RaLin with over 2 decades of experience and holds a B.S. in Construction Management from Southern Polytechnic State University. Through the years, he has directly managed over $345 million in construction volume and currently is the project executive on select projects. Brian oversees construction operations and scheduling and safety divisions, which are executed with expertise. Brian’s education, knowledge of the industry, and experience with RaLin culture of integrity and dependability make him a valuable asset to our team.
Michael Heisey Vice President of Construction
With over two decades of experience, Michael has become an invaluable leader at RaLin. He holds a B.A. degree in Business Administration from the University of West Georgia. As Vice President of Construction, Michael is responsible for overseeing project management personnel, as well as, reviewing contracts, budgets, and projecting the needs of our management staff. Over his 2 decades with RaLin, Michael has been a leading voice in implementing changes and creating protocols that have improved the company’s operating process and efficiencies.
Andrew Stewart Vice President of Field Operations
Andrew began his career with RaLin as a co-op from Auburn University and has excelled in his career through dedication, hard work, commitment to our clients and exemplary leadership. With 20 years of construction industry experience, Andrew’s expertise in developing processes and leading field teams has helped us achieve efficiency across all our job site particularly in respect to project execution, collaboration and overall project delivery.
Scott Kauffman Chief Financial Officer
Scott, a business-minded financial leader with almost 30 years of experience, joined the RaLin team in 2014 and serves as the Chief Financial Officer. He is a CPA and holds a B.S. in Business Administration with emphases in Accounting and Business Management from Samford University and a Masters in Accounting from the University of Alabama. He began his financial career in public accounting, and prior to RaLin held accounting leadership roles in manufacturing and software development.
Cliff Harris Vice President of Sales & Business Development
Cliff began his career as an Army Aviator, after graduating from the US Military Academy at West Point. Cliff is a Gulf War veteran and has 30 years of diverse experience in leadership roles across Military, Sales, Logistics, and Operations with the US Military and Fortune 500 Companies. Most recently, Cliff has developed unique experience serving the Facilities Asset Management requirements in Healthcare and Senior Living industry segments. Cliff joined the RaLin Team in August 2021, as our Vice President of Sales and Business Development.
Todd Haney General Manager of Renovations
Todd is a seasoned leader and team builder with a diverse background in sales, distribution, renovations, and manufacturing. He has over 2 decades of business experience and joined RaLin in March 2022. Todd holds a B.A. in Business Administration from St. Ambrose University. As General Manager of Renovations, Todd is expanding our renovation capabilities with all segments. He leads our newest division, RL Services, which provides building and property service solutions to our clients, making RaLin a full-service building lifecycle partner.
Curt Giebeig Vice President Strategic Partnerships
Curt joined RaLin in 1994 as a project manager and over the years has served in several roles, including Estimator, Director of Preconstruction Services, and Vice President of Estimating for RaLin. In his role as Vice President of Strategic Partnerships, Curt serves as a member of the company’s executive leadership team while assisting with customer relationships. Curt has a great ability to relate to our customers and build trust by providing thoughtful guidance during the pre-construction phase of a project.
Terrence Youmans Chief People Officer
At RaLin, Terrence is responsible for People and Culture. Terrence is a former US Army Signal Corps officer, and his career spans across progressive, multi-site roles at Fortune 100 companies in the waste management, energy, and service industries. Terrence is a dynamic leader who has managed teams at the business unit, regional, and global levels. Terrence has a BS Degree in Math from the US Military Academy at West Point and MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management.
Dana Garrett Diment General Counsel
Dana has represented RaLin for over thirty years, beginning as outside legal counsel and coming in-house in 2017. Dana graduated from Auburn University and from the University of Georgia School of Law. She has maintained the highest peer-review rating for legal ability and ethical standards and has been named a Super Lawyer. Outside RaLin, Dana enjoys her large family, adventure travel, and volunteering for service groups and communities.
Vernon Buchanan General Superintendent
Vernon is a General Superintendent at RaLin with over 41 years of construction experience. Vernon is an Army veteran and oversees quality, safety, cost, and schedule over several RaLin projects. Vernon has a great ability to relate to our building owners, inspectors and subcontractors on building trust by providing thoughtful guidance during the construction phases.
Joe Hester General Superintendent
Joe is a General Superintendent with RaLin Construction. Joe has been in construction for over 41 years. Joe currently oversees safety, quality, customer satisfaction, budget, and schedules on multiple projects. Joe works and communicates well with Owners, Superintendents, RaLin employees, Architects, Engineers, and Inspectors to ensure a quality project is delivered as required on time and within budget. Joe has experience with all aspects of Construction Designs and MEP features and tries to share his knowledge with all coworkers.
Community
Fulford and Friends exists to help raise awareness and funds to support local and consistent neurological services through Tanner Health System
The James R. Fulford Endowed Chair of Neurology is the first endowed chair at Tanner Health System. It was established as an essential part of of an overall strategy to attract and retain the most talented physicians and researchers. One of the highest scientific and academic honors, an endowed chair also represents one of the most meaningful and permanent forms of philanthropy.
A significant gift from Mr. And Mrs. James R. Fulford established the James R. Fulford Chair of Neurology Fund to accelerate Tanner Health System’s neurology program by years, if not decades, bringing care for the range of neurology disorders/diseases closer to home.
The RaLin Construction Academy is a product of Ray Fulford’s desire to develop the next generation construction craft workers while building up community and promoting workforce development for the West Ga area.
RaLin Construction Academy is a partnership between Carrollton High School and RaLin. Mr. Fulford’s vision is carried out by Mr. Chris Stone prior construction general superintendent with decades of knowledge and desire to share. Under the guidance of Carrollton high school administrators Mr. Stone pours into the students daily, teaching both construction and life skills while mentoring to students that participate in the program. The program is a steppingstone between a high school classroom and a real-world job site with how to communicate and navigate the working environment. Students learn hands on trade skills in print reading, carpentry, masonry, and field engineering principles to prepare for employment in the construction industry. Exposure to various skill trades, vendors/suppliers and relationships between owners, designers and contractors enable students to understand how vast the construction industry is coupled with the variety of opportunities available.
RaLin has partnered with West Georgia Habitat for Humanity to build the financial foundation for their Habitat homes for over 15 years. In the fall of 2019, RaLin elected to strengthen this partnership by serving as the general contractor for West Ga Habitat for Humanity's home builds. RaLin has donated thousands of hours of our team's time and service to help promote their mission of building strength, stability and self-reliance through shelter and our mission of Building Up. In addition to the donation of our own resources, RaLin has been instrumental in securing commitments of donated materials, services and discounts from vendors and subcontractors for these Habitat homes. This community effort keeps building costs affordable for West Ga Habitat for Humanity and the Habitat Homebuyer families.
The RaLin Memorial Scholarship honors the life and legacy of Ron Patjens and Walt Fleming, two construction superintendents who lost their lives during the global pandemic. Mr. Patjens and Mr. Fleming were passionate builders and family men committed to the pursuit of excellence in all they did. Both men had a passion for mentorship and guiding the next generation of builders. The RaLin Memorial Scholarship will award up to four students of the RaLin Construction Academy $1,000 per year to each student for four years.
Builders N’ BBQ is a fun and engaging annual cook-off event located at the RaLin Carrollton office location. Local trade partners, friends, family, and community are invited to participate with a team entry as well as join in the tasting and the grilling as our two-day highly competitive BBQ competition comes to an exciting end. Company fun and corporate giving go hand in hand as we donate all proceeds raised to a local community charity.
RaLin is committed to growing an environment rich with diverse and talented professionals who share our culture of commitment to common vision, values, and purpose. Learn more about opportunities to join the RaLin team.
Awards & Statistics
We are very proud to have been recently selected as a 1st place winner of the Build Georgia Awards by The Association of General Contractors of Georgia.