Travis with his daughter Aria Marie and wife Jennifer.
Travis Perry is a competitor. In high school he was a wrestler, competing in an individual sport where strategy counts as much as strength, and he’s always up for a challenge — including when he decided to shift to sales after starting his career as a forester.
“I love forestry; I have a true passion for it,” he says. “But I’m also a competitive person, so I wanted to test myself in a high-performing sales environment. Shifting careers from forestry to sales gave me an opportunity to broaden my horizons and compete while still staying with the company.”
Travis’ career began when, as a Clemson University forestry student, he interned on our St. Helens tree farm in Washington state. He signed on as a forester in 2006 after completing an MBA. He then jumped over to EWP sales in New England in 2013, then did a stint as an OSB market development manager. Five years ago, he returned to his native South Carolina to take an EWP territory manager role, and at the beginning of 2024 he took on additional responsibilities as interim Gulf South region manager.
But he’s never left his forestry roots behind. Earlier this year, he shared his passion for forestry with area high school students during an event for Reflections of Color, our employee resource group for Black and African American employees and allies.
“My family owns forested land, and my grandmother helped instill a love of the forest with me,” Travis says. “I decided I wanted to be a forester when I was 14. Now I work with high school age students to help cultivate an interest in forestry and natural resources careers with them. My interest in those areas helped me get to what I do today.”
In 2021 Travis received EWP’s Platinum Sales Award. Neal Shunk, Lloyd Chalker, Wendy Minichiello and Brian Chaney present Travis’ plaque.
MEET TRAVIS
You’ve been a territory manager for the past five years. Tell us what you do.
I help engineers, architects, building designers, code officials, builders, lumber dealers and distributors come up with creative ways to use our Trus Joist® line of engineered wood products. My work includes negotiating contracts supporting business growth activities, reviewing plans, troubleshooting problems at job sites and providing training and education.
Training is varied. I often host seminars for architects and engineers at their offices, while building designer training is generally done at a dealer location, where I bring in lunch and give them product information. I also attend monthly or quarterly code official meetings to speak with contractors and builders. And when I’m traveling, I’ll call on local dealers in the area.
As region manager, I’ll be leading a team of territory managers all working toward maximizing profitability, promotion and use of our Trus Joist products.
What led you to choose this job?
While I’m competitive, I also like being a part of projects that grow our communities. It’s nice to go back to the place where I grew up, seeing neighborhoods and businesses being built using our products and knowing that I had a hand in supplying those products to our community.
What’s your favorite part of your job?
The variety. No month is ever the same. It's always very dynamic, very fast paced. I’m constantly being pulled in multiple directions where I’m forced to make decisions about how I want to spend my time.
Travis and colleague Terry Alexander not long after Travis started with the company.
You must have some challenges. What are they?
Time management. I cover a territory with many players, and there's always something going on in a particular area that could use my attention. The challenge is determining which one of those I want to take care of, and prioritizing the order in which I do so, for the best impact to Weyerhaeuser.
Tell us something about your job that might surprise people.
People tend to be surprised when I tell them I’m a forester by training. They don’t really expect that from a sales guy!
Most people who do what I do have a background in construction or engineering. But the number one thing you need to be successful in this job is an interest in wood products, and knowing how they’re made and used. You also need a willingness to learn the technical details that go into how our products add value.
How has your experience as forester intersected with what you do now?
It allows me to understand what we do, from the very beginning to the end of the channel. Most people in a role like this can talk about the finished product or the manufacturing process. But I can go all the way back to how the seedling was planted. I understand the differences in things like species, forest genetics, growth patterns, fee versus outside purchase timber, and more. And I’m able to articulate our mission of sustainability, which comes up often.
When you were young, what did you want to do?
I grew up in a small rural community surrounded by forests. My grandmother and I spent many days walking through our family’s property together. She explained how important it was for me to learn everything I could about forestry, to be part of positively improving the land base for our family and community. When I was young, I had the opportunity to attend a forestry summer camp sponsored by Westvaco; they even offered me a job. That experience helped solidify what I wanted to do when I grew up.
Travis and his dad fish together.
Tell us about your other interests. What do you like to do when you’re not at work?
My wife and I play tennis together, and depending on the time of year, I like to golf, fish and hunt. Most importantly, though, I still like to walk through the woods. I take my 3-year-old daughter and my goddaughter with me to my family’s property. I want them to develop the same deep connection to the land that I have.
