Ramin Pourteymour is well known in San Diego for his humanitarianism and business acumen. What is less known is the rugged path he has traveled, which he likens to a roller coaster. He began life at the top, born into a wealthy Iranian family with three children, private schooling and multiple homes in Iran and Europe. “We had live-in servants, a chef and a chauffeur,” Ramin recalled, noting his father was vice president of a large American company and a developer. His father was also a prominent humanitarian who made it a family tradition to help people in need. He would visit poor neighborhoods, distribute money and offer jobs. However, the family’s lifestyle was shattered by the 1979 revolution that brought Ayatollah Khomeini to power. Ramin, then around 10, was playing soccer with friends in front of the family’s main home in Tehran when military jeeps drove up. Soldiers carrying guns exited the vehicles and entered the house. They soon brought out Ramin’s father. As his father stood with his hands up and a gun to his head, the leader abruptly ordered soldiers to stop, recognizing him as the generous man who had once helped his family. “He saved my dad’s life, but told him he had to leave Iran immediately,” Ramin said. “I had time only to say goodbye to a few friends, take my toy airplane, a few clothes and cry.” The family fled to Germany to begin new lives. They sold their European homes to fund a small business, but a partner disappeared with their money and the business collapsed. Overnight, the Pourteymours were penniless. “My father lost everything, but taught us to stay positive even in the darkest times,” Ramin said. “He told us, ‘They can take everything material, but they can’t take what you’ve learned or who you are.’” Staying positive in dark times, resilience and hard work has stuck with Ramin for life. When Ramin won the equivalent of $4,000 singing in a talent show, the family used the funds to leave Germany and start over yet again, this time in America. In December 1983, the family of five, none of whom spoke English, arrived in San Diego and rented a small apartment. While learning English and attending school, Ramin worked at a gas station cleaning bathrooms and pumping gas. “My goal was to help my family,” he said. “I would put cash under my dad’s pillow to help with rent.” He also saved money for flight training to pursue his childhood dream of becoming a pilot. After graduating early from high school in 1985, he worked multiple jobs-including baggage handling and cleaning aircraft at San Diego International Airport-while taking flight lessons. His hard work paid off. In his early twenties, Ramin became one of the youngest commercial airline pilots in the world. He logged more than 11, 000 flight hours until 2008 when injuries from a motorcycle accident grounded him for years. Although devastated, Ramin again turned adversity into opportunity. He had begun investing in stocks and real estate in his early twenties and, during his time away from flying, expanded those ventures, steadily building financial stability. Additionally, he entered film production. Most recently, he served as an executive producer of “Dead Man’s Wire” starring Al Pacino, coming to theaters in January. Ramin, a dual resident of downtown San Diego and Baja, is also back flying for a large commercial airline as senior captain while continuing to grow his ventures. Carrying forward his father’s legacy and family tradition, Ramin dedicates significant time and resources to humanitarian work. San Diego’s City Council honored him in 2022 with a ceremonial day in his name, noting his involvement with “129 charity organizations, both locally and internationally, focusing on helping children, fighting cancer and helping law enforcement.” Those include such organizations as Promises2Kids, Miracle Babies and the San Diego Police Historical Association. He also founded an animal rescue nonprofit, lasthope4paws. org, that has saved over 1, 000 abused and neglected animals. The City Council concluded that Ramin’s humanitarian work has bettered the community “for which we as a city are grateful.” About this series Goldsmith is a Union-Tribune contributing columnist. We welcome reader suggestions of people who have done something extraordinary or otherwise educational, inspiring or interesting and who have not received much previous media. Please send suggestions to Jan Goldsmith at jgsandiego@yahoo. com.
https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2025/11/20/someone-san-diego-should-know-ramin-pourteymour/
Someone San Diego Should Know: Ramin Pourteymour
