We are your local guide to the Traverse Area

Serving the northern Michigan hospitality community since 2001

Behind the Brand

If you’ve stayed in a Traverse City area hotel in the last 20+ years you have probably seen our work. We manage a one-of-a-kind advertising network under the brand Traverse Traveler in order to educate, entertain and expose visitors to area small businesses and attractions.

We are a very small business ourselves. Our founders, Brandy and Jay, currently work with a small team of local and remote staff to sell advertising, create content, and manage our distribution network.

Our Story

Hi, I’m Brandy, the resident loud-talker at Visitors Media, and voice of Traverse Traveler. I’ll be your guide on this little walk through the history of our companies.

If you’d like to know more about how Traverse Traveler began, how Jay and I brought two media companies together, read on.

In the wake of the tragedy of September 11, 2001 I lost my job as a graphic designer for a small ad firm in Traverse City. Getting a new one didn’t seem too likely as the market was struggling to recover. So why not start a business?

Mealtickets & Unusual Ideas® was born on November 1, 2001 from a desire to help visitors see northern Michigan the way I do. It began with only six advertisers and 30 little card displays.

But little by little the business grew. The hotels I worked with loved the little card displays because they fit on the front desk. Their guests liked how the cards fit in their pocket or purse. And I loved working with each advertiser to design a card that captured their business on a piece of paper no larger than a bookmark.

For over 10 years you’d find a dozen displays in the trunk of my car, a semi-permanent groove on my hip where I carried them, and a well worn path from my garage to my basement where I stored and filled over 70 displays each month.

Over the years I’ve seen many advertising products appear in the hotel lobby. They are often there one season, and gone by the next. So when a new face arrived in town, with lobby digital signage and an in-room television channel called ExploreTC, I was curious. Was it well produced? Did the company operate with integrity? Could this be an opportunity for collaboration rather than competition?

I met Jay Gorter; owner of Visitors Media, Grapevine Digital Signage and founder of ExploreTC. With a background in technology and sales Jay was successful in reviving the concept of a visitors channel in Traverse City hotels. He partnered with lodging properties to provide digital signage in their lobby. But it was the well produced video content playing in-room that attracted advertisers and this little card lady.

After a year of testing the waters, working together on multiple projects, we discovered we had much in common but brought very different skills and perspectives to the table. After 14 years on my own, it was time to grow our businesses by working together.

Traverse Traveler merged with Visitors Media and I finally got out of the basement!

The merger created a multi-media company with a mission to turn travelers into customers for local small businesses.

There are more ways to advertise in this town than zombies in the Walking Dead. (If you own a small business you’re either nodding or cringing right now.) We get it. That’s one of the benefits of bringing print, TV and digital advertising all under one roof. You have only one company to deal with, but many products from which to choose.

Two business founders, two different skill sets, on one team. We both traded in some hats for new ones. Which helped us realize how much we love what we do when we get to do what we love. Now we can’t wait to get to the office in the morning to see what the day will bring.

As we all know Covid dealt a heavy hand to the hospitality industry. Our customers were on lock-down, or had their business model change rapidly. So we too had to adapt.

An annual Dining Guide was no longer an option for restaurants adjusting so frequently. However we found the in-room channel, lobby digital signage, and our little cards all stayed the course as valuable resources for travelers seeking information while on vacation.

We found a resurgence of QR codes as a means for connecting customers to changing data. We’re always looking for new ways to bring value to customers and travelers alike.

Meet the Founders

Jay Gorter
Jay GorterHe's the Tech
Jay spent 25 years in sales management before he ventured out on his own to start a digital signage business and launch the ExploreTC visitor channel for hotels. At Traverse Traveler Jay is the man-behind-the-curtain, geek squad, amazon shopper, chief problem solver. He’s early to rise and first to deliver on a promise. When he’s not in the office he’s probably beach combing for Leland Blues with his wife.
Brandy Wheeler
Brandy WheelerShe's the Creative
Brandy comes from a long line of entrepreneurs, so she knew someday her art degree would become a business. She’s a sucker for a good margarita, John Hughes movies, beach days and anything purple. She won’t take a bet unless she can win, and believes you look where you’re going, not where you’ve been. She’s the voice behind the brand, face in front of the camera, wife and maximizing mother of two.

A Few of our Clients