Meet Travis Landers, who joined our team in September as a Business Development Manager. With more than two decades of experience across the retail and construction industries, Travis got his start at QwikTrip in the Carolinas, progressing from Store Manager to Construction Manager. He later expanded his expertise at Royston, where he worked across millwork, carpentry, casework, and cutting-edge retail technology, including self-checkout systems, while supporting major brands like Walmart. Now at Wisconsin Built, Travis brings a blend of craftsmanship, operational insight, and customer-focused innovation to his role. We sat down with him to learn more about his journey, what excites him about this next chapter, and the experience he brings to our team.
What brought you to this industry and specifically Wisconsin Built?
I like to follow architectural design contests, globally and nationally. It is neat to see how they decide who wins and what the winners do. They are a good “finger to the wind” to test what trends are happening with architectural design.
For the last 5-10 years, the trends have been going away from clean looks like stainless steel, and going to warmer, more welcoming looks with wood, natural greens, etc. A lot of my previous work was with stainless steel, but customers were asking for wood, wood, and more wood. Wisconsin Built has a great product and I wanted to move somewhere that provided more of what customers were asking for.
What do you enjoy most about working at Wisconsin Built so far?
Wisconsin Built is a great company and they really focus on operations. With some new leadership, there is now a bigger focus on sales (along with keeping operations great). The shift in energy and the new focus on sales is exciting and fun for me. There are challenges, but it will be a good ride and learning experience. I enjoy those types of challenges.
What has a typical day for you as Business Development Manager looked like thus far?
A typical week involves deep-diving into market trend analysis to ensure I’m bringing high-level value to every conversation and situation. I prioritize face-to-face meetings and on-site visits to understand a client’s physical environment and bring that feeling back to the creative and design teams.
I view myself as a consultant first, ensuring that every touchpoint adds value to my clients and actually to a very talented team here at Wisconsin Built. My goal is to curate a strategy for long-term partnerships. When I reach out to a prospect or past client, it’s because I’ve analyzed their landscape and truly believe we can solve a specific problem for them.
What are you most passionate about at work?
I enjoy walking into a store and saying I played a part in making it happen. I can go into many stores and restaurants and see my handiwork and the impact that I’ve made.
What activities do you enjoy in your spare time?
I do a lot of cooking. I have a massive collection of pots, pans, and knives. It is a passion and a hobby, much more than just eating. I make a killer bolognaise and always make enough that I can freeze some to keep eating it for weeks after the first meal.
I’m also big into music, and I go to a lot of concerts. I particularly enjoy Americana music, and there are many grassroots artists that I enjoy following.
Anything else that you’d like to share?
I don’t think Wisconsin Built gets challenged enough. Some customers underutilize us and we can do more. Challenge us to do new and different types of projects!
