Travis Starnes, 33
Senior Industrial Product Manager
Prysmian/Encore Wire
Travis joined the industry in 2015 and spent two years at CED before joining Prysmian in 2017. “I found CED at a career fair at the University of South Carolina and enjoyed the conversation with the team there,” he said. After a period of transition working at Midas Auto as a manager, “A well-dressed individual with a fleet car came into my location in Lexington, S.C.,” Travis recalled. “I asked questions and learned about the Prysmian Group—and after some research joined the company’s Sell-IT international program.”
During his time at Prysmian, Travis was a regional inside sales manager for three years, an industrial product specialist for two years, a sales director for nine months, and a Carol Product manager (through the merger of Encore) for two years. “Today I serve as senior industrial products manager, leading my team since April 1 and returning back to my roots of medium voltage and industrial products,” he said, adding that he has relocated twice since joining the company: in 2019 from Lexington, S.C. to Northern Kentucky after the General Cable acquisition and again in 2025 following the acquisition of Encore Wire, when he relocated to McKinney, Texas.
Travis noted that “The B2B experience and working in an industry that’s such a large need while every day being different from the last” is what drew him to the business. “I’m still drawn to it for the opportunity to assist partners in something they need and grow relationships by helping people—taking a complex situation and pushing to simplify it while using my experiences to tackle the issues at hand,” he said.
Asked about a challenge the industry is currently facing, Travis pointed to a supply/demand issue in the data center market. “The demand far exceeds the supply,” he explained. “I’m actively working to ensure we’re aligned with partners of the industry that can serve the marketplace at a high level, focusing on working internally on investments and opportunities to further increase efficiencies and output to service data centers, and always keeping our promise to the marketplace.”
Looking ahead, Travis will continue to train and lead his team to continue to broaden their abilities for the greater good of the corporation long term. “I do this while focusing on further streamlining processes and improving communication to ensure that industrial products deliver the same level of service that Prysmian/Encore partners have been accustomed to on the building wire side of the portfolio,” he said.
What would Travis tell someone new to the industry? “Find mentors, put aside time to spend with them, and be sure to absorb all that you can,” he said. “There’s so much knowledge in the industry that will be lost without these discussions. Become an expert by talking with the existing experts.”
When he’s not at work, “I’m always interested in a good round of golf. I’m not the best, but I’m interested nonetheless,” Travis laughed. “I’m also interested in billiards, sports cars, and local networking opportunities.”
Each year tED magazine recognizes 30 of the industry’s best and brightest under the age of 35. Please visit tEDmag.com/30Under35 for nomination information and updates about the 2026 program. Questions can be sent to tED Editor Misty Byers at mbyers@naed.org.
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