Grinding Gears Through 65 Years!
Happy Birthday Bobby Ramey!
The American Dream is the worldwide belief that anyone can achieve their own version of success in society and history. More than anything else, this dream is accomplished through hard work. And today we want to tell the story of a man of our own community who made this dream become true. This man is Bobby Ramey. A lifelong biker, owner of All Steel Buildings, papa, beloved dad of his two daughters and a friend to everyone.
Bobby was born in Ohio, but relocated with his mother, uncle, aunt and his siblings to Florida at an early age. His mother, Kathleen Ramey, supported Bobby in every step of his way and always provided a good home to him. They did not have much at the time, but strong mothers raise extraordinary children and at the age of 92 years, Grandma Ramey, continues to go strong and does not miss a day of work at All Steel Buildings.
When Bobby was a young boy, he earned his first dollars working on a farm. He was determined on making his way through his early life by working different jobs. As a man of duty and responsibility with a great love for his country, Bobby joined the Marine Corps at the age of 19, from 1974 to 1978. After his service, he became the father of two girls, Leah and Amanda, and started his first business with his brother –in-law, S&R Metal Buildings. In 1996, his company changed to Corrugated Metal Buildings that then became the ultimate All Steel Metal Buildings and Components. All Steel Metal Buildings celebrated its 20th anniversary this year.
Bobby has lived most of his life on two wheels, for transportation purpose or just joy rides, he lives the biker side of life; the one that would throw your brand new helmet across the asphalt just to bring it good luck. He partied in Sturgis, rode the Black Hills, the Needles, Spearfish Canyon and the Badlands….but he’s not done yet. He is faithful to local bike events, including bi-annual trips to Daytona Beach and enjoys riding local roads, hitting local biker spots. We all know bikers like Bobby, he’s the first one who wants to do a burn out or a doughnut in the parking lot. Most of us have all seen Bobby ride around in earlier years on his 1982 Shovelhead. Little did Bobby know way back then that this bike would became his first bike of an impressive bike collection. Ramey’s hall of rides is home to 25 motorcycles. As a hot rod lover, Bobby also added a custom build rat rod to the collection a few years back which can often be checked out at local car shows. A mean lifted, rock crawling Jeep and 1935 Cadillac top everything off. But we are sure there is more to come!
Bobby works hard and plays hard, and when you see him step in a bar, you will probably hear: “Shots for everyone!” As a matter of fact, you may be reading this, thinking, “Yeah, I had a shot (or two) with Bobby”, or “Bobby Ramey knows how to party”, because as much as he is a successful businessman, Ramey knows to enjoy life to it’s fullest by having good times with friends, throwing unforgettable parties, riding along with the Florida Krackers, relaxing on the water catching fish, and spending time with his family. He lives the American Dream.
Bobby takes care of the people he loves, his family comes first. His daughter whom he nicknamed “Punk” cherishes riding with her father. “One of my favorite memories ever is riding my motorcycle on the Skyway Bridge with my dad by my side. He smiled and gave me the peace sign the whole way over”. This is something that I will cherish forever.” Punk. But Bobby also gives back to the community. He supports little league teams and other organizations, and through the huge success of All Steel Buildings and Ramey Business Park, he provides jobs right here in Tampa Bay. When natural disasters hit our state or other locations, Bobby is the first one on site rebuilding communities. Years ago, Bobby would take his original work crew to Homestead after Hurricane Andrew hit the city hard. He spent months rebuilding destroyed buildings, and provided new homes for families who lost everything. With each new visit, Homestead would welcomed the Ramey Boys back with signs they posted all over the city, because it was not just a job for Bobby’s crew to rebuild the city. Their work became a mission and was and still is greatly appreciated, not only in disaster areas.
Born To Ride is proud to have known Bobby for a long time. He has been a part of our family and has helped to promote many motorcycle events with us over the years. While putting this tribute to Bobby’s 65th birthday together, his longtime girlfriend Judy Waldrop told us, “Bobby’s heart is bigger than life and he has never met a stranger. He is always trying to help out someone, whether it is somebody on the streets or in the community, from buying bags of food for the homeless at Publix, to helping his coworkers and supporting his family.” Friends describe Bobby as hard working, with a heart of gold and a man of his word. They say that when you put an obstacle in Bobby’s way, he will overcome it, no doubt. “I love this man”, Happy Birthday Bobby!
Let’s get together and congratulate Bobby to his 65th birthday. A true American Dream achiever and a damn good guy who taught us to always remember to work hard but play even harder.
Happy Birthday Bobby Ramey! May you keep grinding gears for another 65 years!
