Hotelier Ravi Patel, 29, president of Burlington, Iowa-based
Hawkeye Hotels, is running for Congress from Iowa’s 1st congressional District.
Announcing his candidacy, Patel said, ‘I am excited to
announce that I am entering the race for Congress in Iowa’s first congressional district!
‘Throughout this campaign you will often hear me say, ‘I am
not a politician. I am a pro-growth progressive.’ This is because I have a
track record of growing businesses that give back to their communities and
provide good-paying jobs that Iowans need.
‘Our country is facing many complex challenges, and the
solutions to those challenges include all of us. We need a fresh perspective
and new leadership. We need a Congressman who is an innovative thinker; who is
genuinely interested in serving our country and seeing it succeed,’ the statement
said.
He becomes the second Democrat to announce congressional
aspirations in the Democratic-leaning district in the northeast portion of the
state, according to The Daily Iowan. Cedar
Rapids City Councilor Monica Vernon unveiled a bid to unseat first-term Rep.
Rod Blum, R-Iowa.
Vernon, who was former state Sen. Jack Hatch’s
lieutenant-governor pick in the 2014 gubernatorial election, has already
amassed over a dozen endorsements and is weeks from what she has described will
be an aggressive fundraising campaign, the paper said.
Patel, in his statement added, ‘My campaign will be about
broadening economic opportunity for Iowa
families. Right now, America
is experiencing the dawn of the New Economy. In order for us to thrive and
flourish, we need a compassionate agenda for Iowa’s working families. This means we must
stand up for pay equity, invest heavily in a robust education system, and work toward
meaningful reforms to our immigration system.
‘As this campaign progresses, I will outline more of my
ideas. I hope to have positive conversations with the voters in the district
and demonstrate why I am the best choice to represent northeast Iowa. I hope you will
join my campaign!’
He was born in Mena,
Arkansas after his family purchased
a small roadside motel there. Ravi and his
siblings learned the hotel business at an early age, working every job at the
hotel from maintenance, to housekeeping, to night shifts at the front desk.
Eventually his family moved to Burlington, Iowa
where they continued to grow their family business. Upon graduating from the University of Iowa,
Ravi joined his family’s company full-time and
now serves as Principal and President.
Hawkeye Hotels is one of the fastest growing, privately
owned hotel companies in the country. Since joining Hawkeye Hotels, Patel has
personally overseen more than forty acquisition and new development projects.
Under Ravi’s leadership, the company has grown
to become a fully vertically integrated hospitality firm, offering a variety of
services that range from design and construction to management and development.
Ravi has mentored and funded over a dozen companies around Iowa. These startups are
transforming entire industries ranging from the education space to healthcare
and philanthropy.
Ravi wants to make sure
that the same opportunity to succeed is there for every other American family.
To that end, Ravi co-founded Built By Iowa, an
early and mid-stage business accelerator that launched in the fall of 2013.
This accelerator brings growth capital, mentors, and technical infrastructure
to Iowa-based startups looking to scale their companies and bring their
products and services to wider markets.
Ravi serves on several boards and committees throughout Iowa, including the Kirkwood College Hospitality Arts
Advisory Board, the University of Iowa College of Business Alumni Board and the
State of Iowa Hospitality
and Tourism Careers Committee. Ravi graduated from the University of Iowa
with degrees in Business Management and Entrepreneurship.
