"Travis is a technology bloodhound. He sniffs out the next best thing and knows how to take advantage of it in products and services. If you're looking for a status quo guy, Travis is NOT your man. If you need someone to see a profitable future from a myriad of opportunities, rally the troops and make it happen? Yep, he's that good."
— Troy Stein, LinkedIn Recommendation
"To date, my favorite BBQ restaurant is still Saddleback BBQ in Lansing, Michigan. The food was so good that I came back four days later when I drove back through town."
Influential writer David Perell — creator of Write of Passage, hundreds of thousands of newsletter subscribers — personally endorsed Saddleback BBQ and returned unprompted four days later.
Read Full Record →
Business Insider · October 20, 2023
"A man was overweight, depressed, and unhealthy. Doing a 'year of the opposite' changed everything."
National health feature by Rachel Hosie. Travis lost 43 pounds, reversed depression, eliminated medications — and ran 1,000 miles in a single year.
Reddit r/seinfeld · 425,000 members · October 2023
#1 post on the Seinfeld subreddit — 1,141 upvotes
The Business Insider article topped the Seinfeld community — one of Reddit's most active TV subreddits — as fans celebrated a real-life "Opposite George."
517 Magazine / Greater Lansing Entrepreneurial Awards · 2023
Greater Lansing Business of the Year — Saddleback BBQ & Slice by Saddleback
Presented by MSU Federal Credit Union and Foresight Group at the annual entrepreneurial awards gala.
Pure Michigan / Michigan Economic Development Corporation · April 2023
Pure Michigan Certificate of Pure Achievement — Governor's Conference on Tourism
Presented at the state's premier annual tourism and hospitality gathering, recognizing Saddleback BBQ's contribution to Michigan's economy and visitor experience.
Governor Gretchen Whitmer — State of Michigan · 2021"I could not be prouder of the resilience, innovation, and compassion that your business has shown."
Michigan's Governor personally wrote to Saddleback BBQ recognizing their COVID-19 community service — including paying off student lunch debt across nine school districts and supporting struggling restaurants.
Read the Letter → Liquid Web Private Equity Sale · 2015$224M
Grew Liquid Web from ~10 employees to 480+ · $80M ARR · $224M private equity exit
As VP of Marketing (2009–2015), Travis joined Liquid Web when it had roughly 10 employees. He helped grow it to three data centers, 480+ employees, and a landmark $224 million sale — with 12 consecutive Inc. 5000 designations along the way.
Kiwanis Club of Haslett · Citizen of the Year · 2023Kiwanis Citizen of the Year — an honor Travis "had no idea" he was being considered for
The Haslett-Okemos Kiwanis Club recognized Travis for community leadership through Saddleback BBQ and his broader civic work — school lunch debt payments, Ele's Place board service, and public advocacy.
Full Record →
Travis Stoliker is a Michigan entrepreneur, community leader, and public servant based in Haslett, Michigan, where he lives on Lake Lansing with his wife Laken and son Lane. He is currently CEO of Scribe Media and serves as a Trustee on the Haslett Board of Education (term expires 2030).
Travis's career in technology began at TechSmith, where he helped grow Camtasia from the lowest-selling product to the company's top product. From 2009 to 2015, he served as VP of Marketing at Liquid Web, joining when the company had roughly 10 employees and helping grow it to 480+ employees, three data centers in Lansing, a data center in Amsterdam, and ~$80 million in annual recurring revenue before its landmark $224 million private equity sale in 2015. During that run, Liquid Web was named an Inc. 5000 Fastest-Growing U.S. Company 12 consecutive years — a rare distinction in American business.
In 2015, Travis co-invested in and helped build Saddleback BBQ with founder Matt Gillett. The restaurant earned Food Network recognition as one of the Best Sandwiches in America, was named Best BBQ in Michigan by Mental Floss Magazine, won the Greater Lansing Business of the Year award (2023), SBDC Small Business of the Year (2018), Michigan 50 Companies to Watch (2023), and the Hospitality Hero Award (2023). Saddleback expanded to four profitable locations with presences at Spartan Stadium and Breslin Center, developed a line of BBQ sauces and rubs in major retailers, paid off student lunch debt across nine school districts, and pioneered pay transparency among Lansing-area businesses.
Travis is also the creator of the Year of the Opposite — a personal transformation challenge that led him to lose 62 pounds, run 1,000 miles in a single year, complete a full marathon, cure his depression, and reverse his high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and elevated triglycerides. He now shares this methodology through his Substack newsletter and podcast.
His community service includes serving on the boards of Ele's Place (capital region grief center for children), East Lansing Info, Capital Community Angel Investors, East Lansing Zoning Board of Appeals, and GridPane. He received a personal letter of commendation from Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin and has corresponded publicly with Governor Jennifer Granholm on energy policy. In 2023, the Kiwanis Club of Haslett named him Citizen of the Year — recognizing community service he "had no idea" he was even being considered for. In 2024, Holt Public Schools named him an Outstanding Alumni.
Travis invented the Gyroaster, a roasting device, and has been a Facebook panelist on digital business strategy. He began his career at WILX TV in Lansing, where he was elected UAW Union Steward — one of the youngest in the department's history.
A profile of Travis's 2022 Entrepreneur-in-Residence retreat at the Edward Lowe Foundation's Big Rock Valley campus, where three days of solitude and rocking chair reflection led to the birth of the Year of the Opposite.
Travis announces his appointment as Trustee of the Haslett Board of Education, filling a vacancy left by Monica Del Castillo's resignation. He highlights his community credentials and vision for the district.
Travis announces the sale of all his shares in Saddleback BBQ and Slice by Saddleback to co-owner Matt Gillett, effective December 27, 2023. Gillett calls Travis "instrumental to the company's success and brand development in the Lansing area."
As a Haslett school board trustee, Travis's personal initiative to donate $3,000 to an outstanding staff member sparks community controversy — offering a candid look at the challenges of civic service.
Travis's official public biography: from TechSmith product manager to Liquid Web CMSO to Saddleback co-owner to Scribe Media CEO — plus the origin story of the Year of the Opposite personal transformation that shed 62 lbs and reversed multiple health conditions.
Major national press coverage in Business Insider's Health section. Rachel Hosie profiles how Travis lost 43 pounds, reversed depression, and eliminated medications by doing the opposite of his normal habits for one year.
International digital media coverage of Travis's Year of the Opposite transformation — published the same day as Business Insider, driving global readership to his story of losing 43 pounds and reversing depression after the deaths of three close friends.
The Business Insider article about Travis's Year of the Opposite transformation topped r/seinfeld — the Seinfeld TV show community — with 1,141 upvotes and 96 comments, as fans celebrated a real-life "Opposite George" story.
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer sent a personal letter to Saddleback BBQ praising Travis Stoliker's restaurant for its COVID-19 community service: "I could not be prouder of the resilience, innovation, and compassion that your business has shown."
The Kiwanis International chapter serving Haslett and Okemos, Michigan named Travis Stoliker its 2023 Citizen of the Year, presenting him with an engraved crystal trophy recognizing his community leadership through Saddleback BBQ and civic service.
Saddleback BBQ, co-founded by Travis Stoliker, was presented with a Pure Michigan Certificate of Pure Achievement at the Michigan Governor's Conference on Tourism — the state's premier annual gathering of hospitality and tourism industry leaders.
"To date, my favorite BBQ restaurant is still Saddleback BBQ in Lansing, Michigan." Influential writer David Perell endorsed Saddleback BBQ in his widely-read newsletter — and returned four days later because the food was so good.
Video record of Liquid Web's Data Center 3 grand opening in 2008 — the year before Travis Stoliker joined the company as Chief Marketing & Sales Officer, a role he held from 2009 to 2015 through the company's growth to a $224M private equity exit.
Travis Stoliker was sworn in as a Haslett Board of Education trustee on October 10, 2023, beginning his term of service through 2030 representing the Haslett and Meridian Township school community.