#043: Hollman Lockers - CEO Travis Hollman

The Jedburgh Podcast

Grit is defined as courage, resolve, or the strength of our character. We develop grit through the difficult times in our lives. The times we got knocked down, passed over or left behind.

Host Fran Racioppi visited Travis Hollman, President & CEO of Hollman Lockers; the world's largest manufacturer of locker rooms, including those of the Dallas Cowboys, Equinox, The New York Times, J.P. Morgan and Alabama Football.

Hollman is a family business that Travis has grown 8x since he took it over in 2011. Growing up, Travis suffered from severe dyslexia and a rare bone disease that bound him to a wheelchair. He was bullied, rejected and called the dumbest kid his teachers ever taught. Today, he is one of the most successful and influential CEOs in business.

In an on-location episode inside the Hollman manufacturing plant, Travis and Fran discuss locker rooms, scaling businesses, entrepreneurship, the importance of family, his dedication to giving back, and how Grit has been the key to overcoming adversity and finding success.

Read the full episode transcription here and learn more on The Jedburgh Podcast Website.

Highlights:

-Travis discusses the history of Hollman, his relationship with his father and how he immediately implemented a turnaround culture of growth based on doing the right thing; something that proved itself during the COVID-19 downturn.

-Travis discusses the various roles at Hollman and how he evaluates talent based on what people want to do vs what he thinks they should be doing.

-Travis credits a childhood physical disability that left him in a wheelchair, combating severe dyslexia and being shunned by others as pivotal in developing toughness and grit.

-Travis talks about the details of manufacturing, the fundamentals of volume, the importance of technology and how Hollman wins on quality.

-Travis provides his advice to young entrepreneurs who struggle to choose a clear direction.

-Fran and Travis open up about parenting, raising kids, the differences between when they grew up and the importance of balance.

-The Hollman Family Foundation provides locker rooms and funds school improvements to impact local communities.

Quotes:

-“There was no one in charge. Whoever put their hand up that day was in charge.”

-”My thought process is that everyone wants to be worth $100M one day. That’s not true.”

-“We are all wired differently. We are all wired for exactly what we want to do.”

-“He’s the dumbest kid I ever taught. He can’t come back to this school next year.”

-”You’re the best person, that’s who we hire. When you do that, that's how you develop the right culture.”

-”It doesn’t matter what you do, but find that idea you really love.”

-”We used to get hurt by rocks and pavement…how they are hurting kids now is through social media and making them feel bad.”

-”We are going to give free college tuition to everyone that works here and their spouses and their kids.”

-“When I make money, the people around me should all make money. Let’s keep the money moving through society.”

Travis’s Three Daily Foundations to Success:

-Show up

-Never walk alone

-Focus on the good, learn from the bad

This episode is brought to you by Jersey Mike’s, 18A Fitness and Analytix Solutions.