Meet Gabriel Salomon Ramirez of SEED SPOT, Sitewire, Noble Interests, Adelante Healthcare (Board of Directors)

Today we’d like to introduce you to Gabriel Salomon Ramirez.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Gabriel Salomon. So, let’s start at the beginning, and we can move on from there.
I’m a first-generation American. My dad was born in Nogales, Mexico, and my mom’s family was one of the first to settle in Tubac before Arizona even became a state. They both shaped me to work hard, invest in Arizona, and help those less fortunate than us.

When I was in high school, my best friend and I took a long shot and applied for an internship program called INROADS. Their mission was to place underrepresented kids into Fortune 500 companies for internships. I got accepted into the program and began working for Gannett, a large media company, in high school. That decision changed my life. Little did I know that some of the closest relationships I would forge came through INROADS.

Through that experience with Gannett, I witnessed how hard reporters work and how they stay true to their rock-solid ethics. I learned how small business owners are the backbone of our economy, and how the media plays an important role in keeping people in power honest and being a watchdog for everyday folks. I worked at Gannett for 13 years and was a founding member of an innovation team that scaled nationally.

After 13 years, I got the itch to try something new and started working for a startup digital advertising agency. That experience gave me insight into a whole new world – advertising agencies and start-ups. I’ve now accumulated eight years of experience working at advertising agencies. I currently head up business development for Sitewire, a digital marketing agency whose clients include Aetna, Persil ProClean, Duraflame, and AVNET.

In the last five years, I’ve become enamored with Buddhism, meditation, and how principles like purposeful intention can influence business outcomes. With some of those principles, I started a real estate investment company called Noble Interests with my wife. We also started a blog together – if that sounds remotely interesting, you can read some of my ramblings here. http://www.gabrielsalomonramirez.com/

This latest chapter of my life was very much shaped by Valley Leadership, a 9-month program that fosters collaboration and civic engagement between diverse Arizona leaders. I’ve never been so inspired by the stories of people around me. Through these relationships, I was introduced to SEED SPOT, a social impact incubator and non-profit helping entrepreneurs solve the world’s biggest problems. I was immediately fascinated.

After serving on the SEED SPOT Advisory Board for a few years, I am now a Community Organizer that runs 2-Day Launch Camps for Phoenix-based entrepreneurs looking to grow their ideas into businesses that generate profit and make the world a better place. I partner with businesses all over Phoenix. I work out of a tiny desk at Sitewire’s downtown Tempe, AZ office that sits right on the corner of Mill Avenue and 7th Street.

There’s barely enough room to stretch my legs, but I absolutely love it. It might be the best view of Mill Avenue in Tempe. If you’re ever driving down Mill, look up above the big Mellow Mushroom sign and wave – you’ll probably catch me in my standing desk.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
My biggest struggle in life was losing my mom right after college. It was unexpected and very much shaped how I view life. I hold onto people a little longer when I say goodbye.

I periodically just stop and look at things – the way a tree branch spirals up, the light through the bushes, or sometimes just admiring a fly. People sometimes think I’m strange in doing so, but it’s led me to appreciate the beauty and existence in everything.

My loss led me to explore meditation and Eastern philosophy as a mechanism to better understand loss and overcome anxiety.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about SEED SPOT, Sitewire, Noble Interests, Adelante Healthcare (Board of Directors) – what should we know?
At SEED SPOT, we help people transform their impact-driven ideas into businesses that solve the world’s biggest problems. And there are a lot of social problems to solve these days. Thankfully, there’s no shortage of innovative entrepreneurs stepping up to take on the challenge.

I’m most proud of the impact our entrepreneurs are making. Over the past five years, SEED SPOT has supported 500+ alumni tackling issues like literacy, energy efficiency, and epilepsy misdiagnosis. Being a social entrepreneur doesn’t have to be a binary decision of for-profit or non-profit.

Our ventures have raised millions of dollars AND make a tremendous impact on the causes and communities they are passionate about. Sound intriguing? Check out our 2-Day Launch Camps here: https://seedspot.org/communities.

Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
My mind can race and seem chaotic at times. It can be overwhelming, and I struggle to keep up with my thoughts.

I’ve really tried to apply mindfulness principles to control my emotions and thoughts. I’ve learned how important it is to just focus on the breath. It’s something I work on every day.

I LOVE snowboarding, reading, and basketball. I’m always up for exploring a new mountain – the steeper, the better. The scale of the mountain, white snow and trees, silence, and technical challenge allow for a magical concentrative state.

You either focus 100% of your attention or tumble, spin, and free-fall down a steep mountain. It’s a great mechanism to focus and clear out my chaotic mind.

I’m always down to explore new mountains and interesting reads. Have a great book or snowboarding recommendation? Let’s connect!

Contact Info:

• Email: gramirez@sitewire.com
• Other: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabrielsramirez/

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