Name: Travis A. Butler
Family: Wendy (spouse), sons Tab (9) and Wit (7)
Hometown: Atlanta, GA
Current Town: Athens, GA
What Years at UGA: 1997-2001
School/Degree: AB in Economics
Profession: President, Butler Properties & Development, a commercial real estate development company
Accolades: I currently serve on following boards: UGA’s Alumni Association Board, Terry College of Business Alumni Board, UGA’s Fellowship of Christian Athlete’s Board, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Paul Oliver Network. Nominated for UGA’s 40 under 40 this year.

 
 
What life lessons did you learn while at UGA? 
 
I learned who I was. College is the first experience outside of your parents’ home for most and it allows for the development of the individual through education, relationships and having your metal tested for the first time while on your own. It taught me how to begin to focus my dreams and how to create my own opportunities. It also taught me that while there’s no such thing as a free pizza, there is definitely such a thing as a free t-shirt, and they were everywhere.
 
 
What professor did you most admire (and why)?
 
Dr. Henry Munneke, without a doubt. Henry is a professor who understands that the real- world classroom is just as important as the one in Brooks Hall and encouraged me to do an internship. That internship resulted in me getting my real estate license, falling in love with the business and made the classroom come alive for me. I am now uber-passionate about internships and have at least 2 or 3 Terry students interning with my company at all times.
 
 
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
 
Hands down, getting Wendy to marry me. Toughest sale of my life, but almost 16 years later, worth every bit of effort.
 
 
Which historical figure do you most identify with?
 
I don’t know that I identify with him, but I hope I can be like King David. Full of mistakes, errors, sins, etc., yet he was still called a man after God’s own heart by God himself. Hard to top that.
 
 
Who are your heroes in real life?
 
My Dad … smartest man I’ve ever met.
 
 
Quote to live by:
 
“There isn’t a man worth following who doesn’t walk without a limp,” A.W Tozer.
 
 
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
 
A cool, crisp fall morning on UGAs campus, tailgating for a big SEC rivalry game with my family and friends, followed by an emotional victory for the Dawgs between the hedges.

A relaxing day on the beach sitting side by side with my wife in beach chairs, watching our boys play in the surf.

A deer stand on family property while the cold of early winter blows through the pine tree I am sitting 20’ high in, with my boys on either side of me, taking in the beauty of God’s creation all around us.
 
 
What is your most marked characteristic?
 
I think most would say competitive. I despise losing and I do not give up. This can be both a blessing and a curse.
 
 
What do you most value in your friends?
 
Loyalty and the second trait isn’t even dose. I am loyal to a fault and I expect the same from my friends.
 
 
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
 
Patience, no question. Patience is a virtue that I seriously struggle with, just ask my family and colleagues.
 
 
Who are your favorite writers (and why)?
 
C.S. Lewis.. .high minded, yet all heart. The Case for Christianity profoundly changed me. Dale Carnegie … How to Win Friends and Influence People is still the greatest business book ever written. J.D. Salinger … I loved The Catcher in The Rye so much, my youngest son’s first name is Holden. F. Scott Fitzgerald… who doesn’t love The Great Gatsby? Ernest Hemingway… when writers were still real men. Pat Conroy… he captures the beauty and mystique of the lowcountry better than anyone I’ve read. Eric Metaxes … the modern day C.S. Lewis. Malcolm Gladwell… probably the smartest person alive today.
 
 
Fave social media and who to follow (and why)?
 
Don’t do social media … the bad far outweighs the good. Go ahead and judge me. That’s what the interns are for … hahaha!
 
 
 
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