2009 30 under 40 winners

Richard Ramos, 34

President, Nationwide Glass & Glazing Contractors, Los Angeles

Although he envisioned a career in law enforcement, Ramos played an integral role in his family’s contract glazing business—even while attending high school. “My father bought me a pager, and they would page me when a customer wanted to speak to me. During my lunch break, I would get my messages and call my customers back.” His father is now retired, but Ramos still works with his brother and sister. “We learned at a very early age that during working hours, you are just employees—there are no family ties. Things need to get done no matter what. We still follow that. No matter how much we argue in working hours, at the end of the shift, we can have dinner together.”

With decades of contract glazing experience under his belt at a relatively young age, Ramos says he has learned to be an integral part of his customers’ projects. “These people come to you for help. They come to you with a vision for a building that they have in mind. It’s our responsibility to help them make the correct choices that suit their projects, especially when it comes to finances. We need to make sure they get everything they can for what they want to spend.”

One-word description of the glass industry: Challenging
One-word description of self: Ambitious
Career history: 2001-present, president, Nationwide Glass & Glazing Contractors, Los Angeles; 1994-2001, installer, Nationwide Glass & Glazing Contractors
Education: 1994, Woodrow Wilson High School, Los Angeles
Diversions: Boating, golfing
Family: Wife, Catalina; a daughter, Vianna, 7, and two sons, Richard Isaac, 4 and Gabriel, 3 months
Favorite book: “The Last Lecture,” Randy Pausch
If a movie were made about your life, who would you cast to play you? Jeremy Piven from the HBO show “Entourage”
Connections: 2510 Daly Street, Los Angeles, CA, 90031, 562/244-3393, richardr@nationwideglass.net, www.nationwideglass.net
 

 
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