In June 2024, Travis Stoliker acquired Gyroaster — a Michigan-invented, patented marshmallow roasting device created by Michael Hetherington and John Posa, two best friends who met around a campfire in northern Michigan. Michael was an engineer; John was a patent attorney. Together they designed a dual-axis spinning mechanism that roasts marshmallows evenly without burning — a genuinely clever piece of backyard engineering.
John Posa passed away in February 2024. When Travis and his son received their Gyroaster order that May and discovered the inventors lived just ten miles from their home in Haslett, Travis reached out to Pi Engineering. The acquisition closed June 12, 2024. It was the kind of investment Travis gravitates toward: a Michigan-made product with a real innovation behind it, a personal story worth carrying forward, and a chance to teach his son about entrepreneurship firsthand.
Travis and his son began selling Gyroasters at farmers' markets and campgrounds across Michigan, sharing the product and the story of its inventors. The Lansing State Journal covered their work in July 2024. His son was listed as co-owner from the start — the acquisition was as much about passing down lessons in business and product development as it was about the marshmallow roaster itself.
