Vet Launches Made-in-America E-Commerce Store

After leaving the military and joining the corporate world, Dan McCready said he felt like he was lacking a sense of purpose.

The U.S. Marine Corps veteran had graduated from Harvard Business School and was working in consulting at McKinsey, traveling for about 80 hours a week.

“I learned a lot, I worked with good people … but I felt that I missed that sense of mission in the Marine Corps. The military is amazing in that way,” McCready said.

In this week’s Salute to American Success, we’re featuring This Land, McCready’s new e-commerce site that focuses on American-made goods.

“Our mission is to honor American values like hard work, integrity and the pioneer spirit, by sharing handcrafted works of art by America’s craftsmen,” said McCready, who was inspired to create This Land after taking a cross-country road trip.

This Land’s site launched Tuesday on Veteran’s Day – a meaningful day for McCready, who joined the Marines and served in Iraq after graduating from Duke.

“We’re committed to giving a portion of every sale to veterans … It’s such a strong analogy for us and the team,” McCready said.

In order to drum up support for This Land, McCready is opening up a pop-up shop in Charlotte, North Carolina, where he’ll sell some of This Land’s featured products. The site is also creating an online pledge to encourage shoppers to buy one gift this holiday season made by American craftsmen.

“The pledge can be something that gets people thinking,” he explained.

As This Land begins to establish itself, McCready will support the fledgling business with the profits from his other company, Double Time Capital. Co-founded with another Marine veteran, Double Time invests in solar farms.

“I’m using the income to fund This Land myself,” McCready said. “I want to grow it deliberately. And if I own it, I can do that with my set of values.”