Jay B. Ramras (born July 31, 1964) is an American businessman and politician. Ramras was a Republican member of the

Alaska House of Representatives The Alaska House of Representatives is the lower house in the Alaska State Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Alaska. The House is composed of 40 members, each of whom represents a district of approximately 17,756 people pe ...

, being elected to the 10th District in 2004, and served three terms. He served as Chair of the Education Committee, Vice-Chair of the State Affairs Committee, and is a member of the Health & Social Services Committee and the Resources Committee. He also served on the Commerce, Community & Economic Development, Education & Early Development, Environmental Conservation, and Law Finance Subcommittees, for the 26th Legislature. In 2010, Ramras ran for

lieutenant governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

, but lost the Republican primary to

Mead Treadwell Louis Mead Treadwell II (born March 21, 1956) is an American businessman and politician who served as the 11th lieutenant governor of Alaska from 2010 to 2014. Treadwell also served as chair of the United States Arctic Research Commission from 20 ...

. Ramras is also a hotel and restaurant owner. Beginning in 1986 with a small restaurant called Jaybird's

Wing A wing is a type of fin that produces both Lift (force), lift and drag while moving through air. Wings are defined by two shape characteristics, an airfoil section and a planform (aeronautics), planform. Wing efficiency is expressed as lift-to-d ...

world, located in a strip mall just outside downtown Fairbanks, he became successful enough to expand his business footprint throughout the Fairbanks area. In 1993, he purchased the Food Factory, located in the nearby Bentley Mall, from "Big Bob" Grocott, who established the restaurant in 1980. Ramras sold the Food Factory in 2010. He also later purchased Pike's Landing, near

Fairbanks International Airport Fairbanks International Airport is a state-owned public-use airport located three miles (5 km) southwest of the central business district of Fairbanks, a city in the Fairbanks North Star Borough of the United States state of Alaska. It i ...

. In 2000, Ramras, along with partners, opened Pike's Waterfront Lodge next door to Pike's Landing. He has featured himself in numerous

television commercials A television advertisement (also called a commercial, spot, break, advert, or ad) is a span of television programming produced and paid for by an organization. It conveys a message promoting, and aiming to market, a product, service or idea. ...

for his businesses over the years. In his commercials for the hotel, he has often espoused his political philosophy and positions. __TOC__

Personal life

Jay Ramras was born in

Fairbanks, Alaska Fairbanks is a Municipal home rule, home rule city and the county seat, borough seat of the Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska, United States. Fairbanks is the largest city in the Interior Alaska, interior region of Alaska and the second la ...

, the elder of two sons of Dan and Dorothy Ramras. His father moved to Fairbanks from

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

in 1947. He graduated from Lathrop High School in 1981, and earned a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

in American History from the

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York, United States. It was established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church but has been nonsectarian since 1920 ...

in 1984. Ramras has been a lifelong resident of Fairbanks, with two exceptions. He spent a year living in the small

Alaska Native Alaska Natives (also known as Native Alaskans, Alaskan Indians, or Indigenous Alaskans) are the Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Indigenous peoples of Alaska that encompass a diverse arena of cultural and linguistic groups, including the I ...

community of

Allakaket Allakaket ( ) (''Aalaa Kkaakk’et'' in Koyukon) is a second class city in the Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area of the Unorganized Borough of the U.S. state of Alaska. The population wa177at the 2020 census. History and culture Several Native grou ...

during his childhood. In 1997, he briefly moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, seeking (ultimately unsuccessfully) to find a Jewish wife willing to move to Alaska with him, becoming a minor national celebrity in the process.

References

External links

Alaska State House Majority Site

Alaska State Legislature Biography

Project Vote Smart profile

Jay Ramras
at ''100 Years of Alaska's Legislature'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Ramras, Jay 1964 births American hoteliers American restaurateurs Businesspeople from Fairbanks, Alaska Jewish state legislators in Alaska Lathrop High School (Alaska) alumni Living people Republican Party members of the Alaska House of Representatives 21st-century members of the Alaska Legislature Politicians from Fairbanks, Alaska Syracuse University alumni 21st-century American Jews