We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Lee McCord. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Lee below.

Lee , appreciate you joining us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

CargoArtUSA began as a response to a throw away comment. We’ve since built something that helps define family and organizational cultures. We describe our products as “Personalized Decorative Cargo Nets”, but they are really “Industrial Strength Tapestries that Celebrate Life”. Our nets are designed for where life is lived; in the man cave, the cabin, the fence at kids’ ball game, the gym wall, or at watch party / tailgate. We’ve also begun to see commercial adaptations; these nets are used for team building and culture setting in both break rooms and board rooms. And amazingly, we are partnering with many non-profit interest groups like Veteran’s and Alumnae Associations, Touchdown and Dugout Clubs to raise a lot of money to help local community organizations.

So, back to how it started. I had just joined a Veterans’ networking group called VetNet. Having given my spiel on our small net manufacturing company, the jokester of the group quipped, “Hey, maybe he can make a VETNET net!’. So, despite the challenge of turning seatbelt webbing into words, and mostly to spite this guy; we built one. The process was laborious and a bit mind-bending, but the result was downright awesome!

Over the next several months we refined the process and gave them to friends, family and fundraisers. People loved them. Finally, I made one for my son, a kid that shattered all our expectations of his middle-class upbringing to become an Ivy League Linebacker. We made him a ‘Yale Football’ net for his dorm. His response made it clear that these ‘Personalized Decorative Cargo Nets’ could have a cherished place in people’s homes and lives. We all have a passion and a love for something we wish to low-key celebrate with family and friends. It might be our military service, our love of country, our hobby, our sports team or our family. This is where CargoArtUSA excels, as our products give presence to all these things and assert the values of the family.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’ve spent my life in manufacturing, industrial fabrics, and the safety industry. Four years ago, I left a cozy but unfulfilling job to found this Veteran owned safety manufacturing company. The process has had its challenges, but boy has it been exhilarating. We made the commitment early to build everything in the USA. For us, it makes since from a service and values perspective. And it’s amazing to see people employed because of what you are building. It’s humbling

Selfishly, the most gratifying aspect of our work is the messaging chosen for the nets. Most celebrate America, Military Service, Fandom, Family, Friendships and Passions. We also see a lot of youth and high school sports teams, especially with our fundraising work. We smile when we build something silly like ‘Gone Fishin’, as we picture it hanging on a wall while little kids fish with their grandparents. That time and place, and the words ‘Gone Fishin’, will live happily in those kids’ hearts always. They will forever think of Grandad. Amazing!

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

In the beginning, we thought that the Military and Lifestyle messaging through social media would be the most popular. By a narrow margin though, the Sports Fandom market has been the leader. We are able to put an individual’s messaging in team colors. This ties into the fundraising arena where we can help college, high school and even travel teams/booster clubs raise money. On the commercial side, team-building and culture sharing seems to be the focus. Lately we have seen restaurants and bars making “Calls to Action” in the local team colors.

Honestly though, the best source of new clients is anyone who sees a CargoArtUSA net in the field. It’s just product that begs to be seen. The messaging tends to be deeply personal, so it makes an impression. Maybe it’s 101st ABN or 10th MTN. Or maybe it’s Man Cave or Fish Camp or Go Favorite Sports Team. The workmanship and materials also draw connections and drive sales. We use either automotive seatbelt webbing or military webbings, both materials personal to people. It’s always fun to see people recognize the webbing for what it is.

Okay – so how did you figure out the manufacturing part? Did you have prior experience?

Yes, we manufacture all of our products within an hour or so of Chattanooga, TN. We have been making webbing safety nets for years, so the CargoArtUSA extension was logical from a technical aspect. Our CargoArt nets are built with a labor-intensive process employing 3 different sewing operations. We sew the nets, we sew the letters, and finally join the letters to the nets. We lay up the nets and form the letters by hand. CargoArtUSA uses the same threads, materials and standards as for our safety and containment nets.

At the end of the day, we are making signature pieces that are very personal to people. The little differences from piece to piece inherent in hand-made goods just give it soul.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://CargoArtUSA.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cargoartusa/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61573846328646
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cargoartusa-com/
• Twitter: https://x.com/CargoArtUSA