Today we’d like to introduce you to Travis Magee.
Travis, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Growing up, I have always been interested in art and drawing. From there, I pursued and received a graphic design degree from The Art Institute of Dallas. I was a Multimedia Specialist at Fossil headquarters where I also developed a love for photography and video production. In the meantime, my father insisted that I help operate the family business, Magee Machine and Manufacturing. It was there where I developed a new segment of the business called M Grills, designing and manufacturing bbq grills, as well as using my multimedia design background to do all the marketing for the brand. The original inspiration for our barbecue grills came from a Texas-shaped grill that my father designed 30 years ago. From this idea, we designed a newer, polished version of the Texas-shaped barbecue grill because it was unique and we had not seen anything like it before.
A year later, we exhibited our Texas-shaped grills for the first time at The State Fair of Texas. At the same time, I wanted to create a grill that was more universal to also feature at the Fair. That is how the M1 was born. I took the best elements of various grills that I have owned before and combined them into one multi-functional grill that is fully-adjustable charcoal grill and woodburning smoker that grills, sears, bakes, and smokes. The M1 has a small footprint that is ideal for patios. The M1 evolved into becoming our most popular product and award-winning for its design. The M Grills M1 has been featured in print publications and digital media including Men’s Journal, GQ, and Food & Wine. Our products have now expanded to portable grills, commercial smokers, and grilling accessories. M Grills is known for making the best quality charcoal grills and woodturning smokers, handcrafted, built to last and made in Texas.
Has it been a smooth road?
We face many challenges being a small business such as manpower, competing against known brands in the market, and budget limitations with marketing and advertising. So, we maximize word-of-mouth marketing, social media, trade shows, and brand ambassadors. M Grills’ niche is of high quality and hand-crafted. This creates obstacles and challenges for us because we are in a market where there are many brand names whose products are more affordable because they are mass-produced overseas.
Tell us more about the business.
M Grills specialize in small-batch – high-performance cookers with a striking aesthetic. We take pride in our high-end bbq products and use only the finest materials. M Grills are not stamped on an assembly line or made overseas with inferior products. We strive to make our products better at all costs. Every M Grills product is made in our facility in Mesquite, Texas with precision craftsmanship and built to last. Simply put, our products are built like a tank and backed by impeccable customer service.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
There have been a rise of small-batch, handcrafted and high-quality products in the food and beverage markets, and I foresee this to continue growing. Barbecue is becoming more of a lifestyle and experience that brings people together. The popularity of barbecue is growing across the world. Texas barbecue specifically is becoming extremely popular in Europe and Asia. We are now expanding our product lines to European markets. You can find M Grills products across the US and now in Australia.
Pricing:
- M1 multifunctional grill & smoker retails at $2325.00
- C4 Portable Grill retails at $250
- Big M Commercial Smoker starts at $25,000
- M16 Competition charcoal grill retails at $1100
Contact Info:
- Address: M Grills / Magee Machine & Mfg.
3535 Executive Blvd
Mesquite, TX 75149 - Website: www.mgrills.com
- Phone: 972-285-2554
- Email: travis@mgrills.com
- Instagram: mgrillstexas
- Facebook: mgrillsbbq
- Twitter: mgrillstexas
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Ben Franklin
October 9, 2019 at 8:46 pm
Great article on my friend, Travis McGee, I worked with him at Fossil. Another great guy you should recognize, also lives and works in Mesquite, is Tim Morris. He owns and operates Morris Custom Upholstery at 333 Gross Rd. 75149. Tim has been in the custom upholstery biz over 30 years and does beautiful work on everything out there!
His specialty is collectible cars but he does planes, boats, furniture and much more.
Thank you for considering Tim.