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TBAY Made: How Raymond James went from family business to international financial firm

From dispensing investment advice out of a St. Pete apartment to earning an annual revenue of ~$11 billion in 2022 — Raymond James has its roots in Tampa Bay.

July 10, 2023 • 
Brad Haft , Travis Meier
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Meet Raymond James Financial’s Carillon office.

Photo via St. Pete EDC

Table of Contents
Fast Facts
Timeline
Today’s Product
Upcoming Events (at Raymond James Stadium)

You might know Raymond James Stadium for the Luke Combs concerts, sold-out Taylor Swift shows, and as the home of the Super Bowl Championship-winning Buccaneers. But the name comes from one of the largest banking institutions in the US — Raymond James Financial.

It’s been more than 60 years since Raymond James was founded here in TBAY. This is the story of how the investment bank + financial services firm came to be.

Fast Facts

    • Founded in 1962 in St. Pete
    • Headquarters located at 880 Carillon Pkwy., St. Petersburg
    • Employs ~8,700 financial advisors worldwide
    • Raymond James Financial is the fourth-largest public company in Tampa Bay, with ~$11 billion in annual revenue and ~ $1.22 trillion in client assets
    • Traded as: RJF

    Timeline

    Screen Shot 2023-07-10 at 3.39.38 PM.png

    Imagine this is what your Robinhood account looked like.

    Photo via Raymond James Financial

    • 1962: Robert A. James started Robert A. Investments right in his teeny St. Pete apartment. Two years later, the company merged with Raymond & Associates, another investment firm run by Edward Raymond.
    • 1969: The firm planned to go public for $10 a share, but an unsteady market delayed the move until 1983.
    • 1986: While other firms closed their trading desks to minimize Black Monday losses, Raymond James actually kept its desks open.
    • 1998: The company bought the naming rights to TBAY’s newest football stadium. The Bucs christened the inaugural game at Ray Jay with a win over the Chicago Bears.

    Today’s Product

    If you’re trying to figure out how to budget and set financial goals, you might as well ask local. Raymond James Advisors can help plan for the future through investments + retirement planning.

    Upcoming Events (at Raymond James Stadium)

    Screen Shot 2023-07-10 at 3.48.50 PM.png

    TBAY loves Ray Jay.

    Photo via Visit Tampa Bay

    This is the first story in a series called “TBAY Made,” which will highlight the important businesses that call our metro home.

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