Hardware Retailing The Industry's Source for Insights and Information
For 20 years, Sam Mackey served in the U.S. military, working his way through the ranks in the U.S. Navy to become a Navy SEAL. Inspired to join after watching the movie “Navy SEALs,” Mackey enlisted in January 2004 and graduated BUD/S Class 266 in Coronado, California.
“I came up through every enlisted billet in a platoon—lead petty officer to platoon chief and then qualified at the Naval Special Warfare Sniper Course along the way,” Mackey says. “I closed out my career as an instructor at our Advanced Training Command.”
While in the Navy, he completed eight combat deployments in the Middle East and South America and deployed with every East Coast SEAL Team. Mackey is grateful for his experiences on the SEAL team and for the teammates he met along the way.
After retiring in 2024, Mackey co-founded Outsider, a premium American drinkware company. Outsider entered the independent channel when Do it Best provided the company with one of their first opportunities to sell products in stores.
“They believed in us early, picked us up across nine distribution centers and the reorders started running,” Mackey says. “That opened the door to the rest of the independent world.”
Mackey says SEAL teams run on trust, relationships and reliability, similar to how the independent channel operates, making the channel a good fit for veterans.
“Veterans show up, they tell you the truth and take care of their people. That’s what independent retail rewards,” Mackey says. “The big-box world runs on volume and algorithms; the independent channel runs on handshakes and follow-through—and that’s the language every veteran already speaks.”
Mackey says the people are the best part of running Outsider.
“These are multi-generational, family-run businesses—owners who actually pick up the phone. You shake a hand and it means something,” Mackey says. “That’s a community, not a transaction.”
Nominate a Veteran
Help us honor those who have served our country and our channel. Visit YourNHPA.org/veterans to nominate a veteran from your business to be recognized.
