Travis Stoliker's Awards & Philanthropy
Awards:
Greater Lansing Business of the Year — Saddleback BBQ
Saddleback BBQ was honored as the Greater Lansing Business of the Year for its outstanding community support and entrepreneurial spirit, led by co-founders Matthew Gillett and Travis Stoliker.
2x winner of “Michigan 50 Companies to Watch” - Saddleback BBQ & Liquidweb
Saddleback BBQ & Liquidweb each earned a spot on Michigan's "50 Companies to Watch" list, recognizing its impressive growth and impact on the local economy.
Liquid Web named to Inc. 5000 Fastest-Growing Companies in the US for Eight Straight Years
Liquid Web added an 8th consecutive year to its run as one of INC. Magazine’s 5,000 fastest-growing private companies headquartered in the United States. Companies making the list for 5 or more consecutive years are recognized on the “INC Honor Roll” and this is Liquid Web’s fourth straight year for Honor Roll recognition. Only 40 companies nationally (of 5000) have been on the INC5000 more times than Liquid Web, Inc.
Other awards received include:
Travis’s Donations:
Saddleback BBQ owners paid off one school district's lunch debt
In February of 2021, Travis Stoliker and Matt Gillett decided to pay off the outstanding lunch debt for the Mason School District by writing them a check for $1,753.21. When Travis first heard that Mason held a tab of lunch debt for its students, he couldn’t believe it was a real issue that schools dealt with. He and Matt decided they should do something about this, and that’s when they wrote the check.
Little did they know, this donation would spiral into a communal effort. Saddleback BBQ customers and multiple businesses in the Lansing area started pitching in to eventually pay off over $6,300 worth of school lunch debt at nine area school districts. These donations then inspired a Dewitt-based business, Speer Electric, to donate $2,055.74 to cover St. John’s outstanding school lunch debt!
News Articles:
https://www.csmonitor.com/Daily/2021/20210331
Saddleback Barbecue helps Coach’s Bar & Grill survive the pandemic.
During the Covid pandemic in 2020-2021, Coach’s Pub & Grill’s were down 65 percent. They struggled to survive with inconsistent sales and debated shutting their doors for good.
Travis Stoliker and Matt Gillett looked to help Coach’s by donating a locally sourced hog and teamed up with them to create a special menu to boost sales in an attempt to stop them from closing.
What started as a simple generous act by Saddleback, turned into a viral marketing campaign. Customers were reaching out from outside the Lansing area who otherwise wouldn’t have known of Coach’s if it weren’t for Saddleback’s promotion. Now, Coach’s Pub & Grill is back to where they were pre-pandemic thanks to a little help from two local founders!
News Article:
News Article:https://www.wlns.com/news/saddleback-barbecue-pays-it-forward-helps-coachs-bar-grill-survive-pandemic/
Travis Stoliker & Matt Gillett help save Capital City BBQ from closing
Linh Lee was kicked out of her family at the age of 8 and later refused college because of her biological father. She came to America when she was only 16 years old. She arrived at Lansing Airport in shorts & sandals in the middle of February. Since she was 8, she always wanted to own a restaurant. She opened Capital City BBQ in 2015.
The effects of the COVID economic shutdown had a ripple effect on the restaurant industry in America, and Linh Lee felt this effect when her business was almost forced to shut down completely. Luckily with the help of Saddleback founders Travis Stoliker and Matt Gillett, not only was Capital City BBQ able to stay open, but they are now back to thriving in the Lansing area.
Saddleback Barbecue assists Mitten Raised Bakery during the Covid Pandemic
Lansing-based bakery “Mitten Raised” was struggling during the peak of the pandemic, as many businesses were. Katie Lambert, founder and owner of Mitten Raised said, “There are just some things you can’t come back from” when asked if the pandemic has put her business in jeopardy. Little did she know, the Saddleback founders Travis Stoliker and Matt Gillett refused to let Mitten Raised go down without fighting back against the recession.
Saddleback made a social media post that would end up receiving over 10 thousand views. In the post, they promoted her variety of products, including the “Zoe Bar” which honored Katie's faithful dog that had recently passed away unexpectedly, and they also encouraged everyone to share their message to help support the bakery when it needed it the most. The support was so overwhelming, that Katie ended up selling out of product completely!
Since then, Mitten Raised has still been open and has been able to overcome the challenges thrown its way thanks to the help of the Lansing area community.
Other charitable acts include:
Provided stem kits to 3rd-5th graders at Waverly East Intermediate.
Donated 50 meals to people impacted by the Oxford School Shooting tragedy.
1,000+ Kids Meals Donated when schools were closed during Covid.
200+ meals to health care workers and first responders during Covid.
Paid for Billboards featuring Highschool Graduates when commencement got canceled due to Covid.
Donated $1,400 to Midland relief fund after they were hit with a flood.
Purchased $20,000 worth of 4H animals to help kids with their college funds.
Paid off school lunch debt for 9 different local school districts.
Raised $8,600 to help 7 local businesses that were victims of break-ins and vandalism.