Neighbors Erica and Frank Ramos
Forging a Life of Resilience and Ingenuity
By Elizabeth Bobbitt | Photography by Lynn Yao
Sitting in Erica and Frank Ramos’ airy living room on College Boulevard, in a house they designed and built from the ground up, it is clear that the Ramos family welcomes a challenge. Their wall of family photos taken on fishing trips, hiking expeditions, and mountain biking trips attests to this spirit of adventure. Erica, a proud Montanan, joined the National Guard in 1998, while Frank, a native of San Antonio, served in the US Army Special Forces Group, working in South and Central America.
“The military shaped us in many ways,” Erica says. “Frank’s 26 years as a Green Beret instilled discipline, loyalty, and the mantra that guides our family: adapt and overcome, but never quit. My own military service brought me from Montana to Texas, and eventually to Frank.”
“I always had an interest in the medical field,” Frank says. “Eventually, I was accepted into the Physician Assistant program at Fort Sam Houston. There just so happened to be one particular girl in class who caught my eye,” Frank says.
It was during Erica and Frank’s training that the Iraq War broke out.
“We had to learn really fast, and we knew that when we graduated, we would be heading to the Middle East,” Frank says.
“Frank and I survived PA school together, and that pressure forged us into an unbreakable team,” Erica says.
Settling in Alamo Heights
When Frank was deployed to Iraq in 2005 with the 101st Airborne Infantry Division, Erica sent care packages every two weeks.
“The guys back in Iraq said, ‘Frank, you’ve got to marry that girl,’” Frank says.
In 2008, Erica and Frank’s son, Austin, was born. Frank was sent to Colombia on a Special Forces rescue mission, where he served as the “Doc” in Operation Jaque, which resulted in the rescue of three Americans.
“We returned them to Brooke Army Medical Center, and that was the beginning of my relationship with United States Army South. I was asked to lead their medical efforts in Personnel Recovery missions. This move ultimately resulted in several more Americans being rescued. But first, I was slotted to go on another tour to Afghanistan,” Frank says.
“Austin and I moved to Alamo Heights while Frank was deployed. Our home was right across the street from Austin’s sisters, Brooke and Blake – Frank’s daughters from his previous marriage. It was perfect for the kids to be so close,” Erica says.
The Ramos family has deep roots in 78209. Brooke and Blake are graduates of Alamo Heights ISD, and Austin is a rising senior. He is charting his own path in entrepreneurship through the Alamo Heights High School’s Business Incubator elective, where his team won first place for their design of a hitch-mounted BBQ pit: Grill Gate.
“I fell in love with Alamo Heights long before I realized it would be our forever home, Erica says. “As a family, we love the small-town charm, the walkability, and the rare luxury of getting around the city without a highway. 78209 is where we belong.”
Where Medicine Meets Creativity
A keen acumen for entrepreneurship is a tenet of the Ramos family ethos. When Erica was laid off during the long months of COVID, she developed the first, FDA-compliant over-the-counter anti-dandruff dry shampoo: RestoraScalp. Available for a range of skin tones and developed from all-natural ingredients that work to exfoliate and clarify the scalp, RestoraScalp is fragrance and benzene-free.
“As a dermatology physician assistant, I saw so many patients struggling with dandruff who didn’t leave their medicated, wet shampoo on long enough. It’s a medicine, and it needs time to sit on the scalp. I wanted to develop something that would stay on the scalp throughout the day and fit into real life, and nothing like that existed on the market. I knew developing RestoraScalp wouldn’t be easy, but I knew I could do it,” Erica says.
Fast forward several years, and Erica is the Chief Executive Officer of Raven Innovations, a cosmeceutical company aimed at developing products that bring science-backed solutions to scalp and skin health.
“I’ve always been deeply creative. Dermatology, especially the cosmetic side, allowed me to blend science with aesthetics,” Erica says.
When Frank is not working as a physician assistant in Emergency Medicine at Audie Murphy VA Medical Center, he is chief operating officer at Raven Innovations, and it is through RestoraScalp that Erica and Frank have now become an ideal team both at work and at home.
“We like to do the hard things or the things that don’t come easily, but I believe in us,” Frank says.
For more information on RestoraScalp visit: restorascalp.com
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