WHY US?

Hey! I am James and my wife Gwen is the brains behind the entire brand. 
We live in Southern California and have four children. 
Gwen is a cosmetologist, barber, lash technician, photographer and entrepreneur.
I've been an active duty Marine since 2008.

Gwen brought the idea of  "The American Tread" to life on 11/10/2022 (she chose to launch The American Tread on the Marine Corps birthday), but she originally came up with the idea towards the end of 2019 and told me about it when we met in 2020. 
After almost two years of brainstorming, late nights, trial and error, the dream has become a reality.
So, let me tell you as little about us before I tell you the meaning behind the brand.

Gwen is the heart and soul of this family. Her drive and passion gets me off the couch and keeps me on my toes. 
She graduated from Cosmetology school in 2013 and has been working in the hair industry ever since. In 2015, she wanted to further her knowledge in the beauty industry and did some extra training and became a Lash Technician. Then in 2018, she went into barbering school. Now she has a wild range of loyal clientele.

She also was a very consistent streamer on Twitch between 2016-2018 (a popular gamer streaming platform.)
But, one of the coolest things Gwen has done is competing in bikini (NPC) shows! She took the stage five different times (placed in 4 shows, out of the 5) and was on the verge of gaining her pro card (2014 - 2018). She decided to walk away from the sport to follow her career as a Cosmetologist.
The drive, passion, and determination that she developed during the training helped bring "The American Tread" from an idea to a full fledged company. She loves our Country, and for those who know her, have you seen the US Flag sleeve tattoo on her arm?!

I, myself, prefer a little slower lifestyle which makes our pairing as a couple such a great team. We balance each other out pretty damn well. Our shared passions includes, fitness, video games, obstacle course races, shooting, eating and sight seeing. But, we also both have several hobbies the other does not share. Like golf for an example. 

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So let me tell you a little bit about myself.
I enlisted in the Marine Corps in 2008 after realizing I didn't want to do Pre-Calculus my sophomore year in college.
I have been stationed in Florida, Southern California and Maryland during my time in the Marine Corps. 
While stationed in Southern California I was deployed to Afghanistan in 2010 and 2012. After being stationed in Maryland for 4 years, I returned to Southern California in 2017 and in 2020 I met Gwen.
I've gone through a myriad of courses and schools while in the Marine Corps, but the most challenging things I've had to do is being a father to four kids and a husband.

 

In being a father and husband, moving forward is extremely important.
The forward movement is what our brand and company is founded on. 
The ability to keep moving forward. Doing the right thing. Being patriotic, even when it's hard. Even when I'm sore. Even if I didn't sleep enough, and even if I don't feel like it.

Also... Doing good, when no one is watching, and just loving this country with all your heart.
... at least that's what she told me the brand is about. 

Thank you for visiting our website and taking the time to read this short about us, as well as supporting The American Tread movement.

So... "Keep moving forward, because Patriotism isn't part-time!"