In May 2015, Liquid Web — the Lansing-based managed hosting and cloud services company — was acquired by Madison Dearborn Partners, a Chicago-based private equity firm, in a transaction reported at $224 million. The deal marked the end of a remarkable 17-year run for the company and its founding CEO, Matt Hill, who stepped down as part of the transition.
Travis Stoliker joined Liquid Web around 2006 as one of its earliest marketing and sales hires, when the company had roughly 10 employees. Over the following nine years he served as Chief Marketing & Sales Officer, helping build the company from a small Lansing web host into one of the largest managed hosting providers in the country. By the time of the sale, Liquid Web had grown to more than 480 employees, with three data centers in Lansing, facilities in Amsterdam and Arizona, and an office in Ann Arbor — reaching approximately $80 million in annual recurring revenue.
The company was also recognized on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing private companies in America for twelve consecutive years, a distinction Travis counts among his proudest professional accomplishments.
As a phantom equity stakeholder in the transaction, Travis received a significant payout from the sale. Matt Hill, as the company's founder and majority equity holder, received the substantial majority of the proceeds.
