Travis Avery

● Available for Projects
Product Manager // Founder // Leadership

About Travis Avery

I am, first and foremost, an Operator. My professional DNA is a blend of military discipline, corporate leadership, and technical product management. I specialize in leading global teams to build revenue-generating products while strictly adhering to security protocols and budget constraints. Whether I'm turning around a banking center or scaling a tech startup, I leverage my tenacity and experience to drive projects from concept to success. No matter the location or the challenge, I get results.

Books I Recommend

Invisible Rainbow Rich Dad Poor Dad Millionaire Fastlane Unscripted

My Guiding Principles

My personal philosophy is rooted in a blend of individual freedom and collective kindness. I believe in the principle of less government, advocating for personal liberty and a society where individuals have the autonomy to make their own choices. This belief is intertwined with a deep-seated faith in God, which provides a moral compass and a sense of purpose in my life.

In my interactions with others, I strive to live by the Golden Rule, treating everyone with the same respect and compassion I would want for myself. This principle extends to my support for the LGBT community, as I believe that love and acceptance should be universal.

Ultimately, my core beliefs are guided by the power of love and a sense of wonder about our place in the universe.

Key Achievements

SAAS GROWTH Scaled AccelerList.com from zero to $1M+ ARR and 2,500+ active users
PRODUCT STRATEGY Drove a mobile product expansion of our software app resulting in +56% YoY revenue growth
ENGINEERING Architected a desktop application enabling seamless thermal printer hardware integration at scale
LEADERSHIP 20+ years leading high-performance banking amd software teams through complex turnarounds and performance recovery
OPERATIONS Directed multi-branch M&A integrations, executing seamless closures, conversions, and openings of retail locations in both banking and wireless telecommunications
COMMUNITY Founded Bank of America’s first interanl `Illinois Military Support Affinity Group`, strengthening veteran engagement throughout the State
FUNDRAISING Chaired, Founded and executed the first ever Illinois `USO Golf Tournament` generating $100K+ in a single-day fundraising event
INTERNATIONAL Led simultaneous expansion of software products and services across U.S., Canada, and U.K. markets
MILITARY U.S. Army Veteran applying mission-driven execution and leadership under pressure while serving in South Korea and Washington

The Dual Path: Tech & Banking

A unique career built on two parallel tracks: High-growth SaaS entrepreneurship overlaid on a solid foundation of corporate leadership.

2016 — 2025
Founder & Product Manager
AccelerList.com
  • Led the complete product lifecycle of a multi-marketplace e-commerce SaaS platform, scaling from startup concept to $1M+ ARR.
  • Led cross-functional development team of 7 professionals spanning 4-7 time zones.
  • Managed full-stack development projects using Python, React, Java, and Go.
  • Implemented agile development processes and stakeholder management frameworks.
  • Delivered consistent product releases with zero major outages, maintaining 99.9%+ uptime.
SaaS Product Strategy React/Go Kanban Marketing SDLC Agile/Scrum AWS Jira End-to-End Delivery Data Integrations
2015 — 2016
Co-Founder
DesignCandy.io
Identified a niche market creating t-shirt designs for Amazon Merch. Built a design agency and SaaS tools around it, eventually scaling and selling the business to a customer.
Niche Markets Agency Exit Enterprise Apps Cloud Platforms System Integration
Education
Northern Illinois University
DeKalb, Illinois
3 years of study
College of DuPage
Glen Ellyn, Illinois
Associate in Arts
Tech Stack
My favorite tools and such...
Linear AntiGravity LLMs React Python JamStack HTML Slack
Birth of Travis lower middle class kid, a product of divorce and mental instability inherit to my family genes which somehow skipped me. a high school dropout that didn't know he would become great one day
2023 — 2025
VP, Branch Manager III
First Horizon Bank
  • Turnaround management for Nashville LMI branch.
  • Exceeded deposit goals & compliance metrics.
  • Leveraged large financial market experience to build quick relationships with key clients.
P&L Mgmt Turnarounds Compliance Client Relations Risk Assessment
2013 — 2023
VP, Branch Manager III
Citibank, N.A.
  • Managed Private Wealth office in LA.
  • Ranked #3 in NPS score regionally.
  • Facilitated 7 staff promotions over six years.
Wealth Mgmt Team Building NPS Growth HNWI Clients CRM Talent Development
2005 — 2013
VP, Banking Center Manager
Bank of America
  • Led multiple branches to 100%+ scorecard.
  • Managed M&A logistics for La Salle merger.
  • Created IL Military Support Affinity Group.
Six Sigma Mergers (M&A) Operations Change Mgmt Regulatory Process Improvement
2000 — 2005
District Manager
Sprint Wireless
Oversaw 12 retail stores in Chicago. Led team through Sprint/Nextel merger.
Multi-Unit Retail Ops Sales Leadership Integration
1995 — 1999
Electrician
U.S. Army
Served in South Korea and Ft. Lewis, WA. Honed discipline and technical skills in a high-stakes environment.
Military Leadership Security Clearance Technical Training Veteran

Life in Pictures

Family Family Hiking Couple Monkeys in Mexico Colin and I 40th B-Day Corporate volunteering