Talk with a Rōnin: From Data Streams to River Currents with Travis Buck

In fifth grade, Travis Buck begged his parents to let him attend high school summer school for computer programming. They thought it was a strange request. Computers, after all, were just bricks back then: expensive, clunky, and not exactly a clear path to anything.

His parents said yes anyway. And Travis never really stopped.

“I saw what was going on,” he says. “I just knew I needed to get back into computers.”

When the internet was taking shape, Travis was right there, building and hosting websites in the early days of the web. That curiosity never left him. Over the next few decades, he built a career that took him through Wells Fargo for 16 years, a stint as head of IT at a law firm, and seven years leading technology at a credit union, before a well-timed call from a Rōnin recruiter changed everything.

The call that changed it all

Travis wasn’t actively looking for a new job when a Rōnin recruiter found his LinkedIn profile. But the credit union he worked at had started showing signs — management shifts, people being let go for vague reasons — and his instincts were telling him to pay attention.

“I could feel the writing on the wall,” he says. “So when I got a call from someone at Rōnin, it was perfect timing.”

But, coming from large corporate environments, Travis was skeptical of this smaller consulting firm. “I was very concerned and a little apprehensive,” he admits. The recruiter told him that the owners are “gamers and developers,” Travis recalls. “And I thought, what kind of an outfit is this?” The answer, it turned out, was exactly the kind he’d been looking for.

After a sit-down interview with co-founder Ryan Kettrey, he quickly changed his mind. “These guys knew their stuff, and it was immediately obvious.” Taking that call was exactly the right move. “The stress level where I was before was Mach 9. With Rōnin, it’s just… peaceful.”

The many projects of Travis Buck

Three years in, Travis has worked across multiple Rōnin engagements, moving from project to project and picking up new challenges along the way. His current work centers on building an operational data store that consolidates disparate data into a centralized, reportable system without the complexity of a full Kimball data warehouse.

“It’s been fun,” he says. “If you like to solve problems and make people happy, we’re in the right business.”

He credits Rōnin’s accessible leadership for making the work sustainable. “I have no hesitation reaching out to Chris, Ryan, Byron, or whoever I need,” he says. “That’s the thing when you work on new projects here. You just know you have backup.”

Life on the road (literally)

When Travis isn’t architecting data solutions, he and his wife of 30 years are most likely somewhere off the grid. The couple, now empty nesters, are avid outdoorspeople who spent years kayaking remote rivers for 10 days at a stretch: no services, satellite phone only, occasionally going over 5-to-10-foot waterfalls along the way.

“Our kids think we’re crazy,” he says. “Our daughter is more… bougie. Our son gets it.”

These days, the adventures happen from a fifth-wheel RV. This summer, they’re anchoring near Sturgis, South Dakota, with plans to roam through Wyoming and beyond. Travis is even scoping out inflatable kayaks to bring along so they can hit some waterways.

His wife, the accounts payable manager at Block, is currently hybrid and working toward full remote. Once that happens, the freedom to roam will get even bigger.

“We’re kind of loners,” Travis laughs. “I think that’s why I like the remote job.”

Three years in, and no signs of stopping

Travis has been with Rōnin for three years, and unlike the corporate uncertainty he left behind at the credit union, this stretch has been heading in the opposite direction entirely. The stress that once ran at Mach 9 has given way to something steadier: a team he trusts, leadership that picks up when he calls, and work that keeps him thinking.

“I have no hesitation reaching out to whoever I need,” he says. “You just know you have backup.”

For someone who spent years navigating the politics of large institutions, that kind of support isn’t something he takes for granted. At Rōnin, he’s found a place where the work is interesting and the support is real.

“I love the challenges and the people,” he says. “Keep it coming. What else can you ask for?”