His college experience was spent in Hawaii, where he majored in agriculture. While there he studied animal and soil science as well as beekeeping. His lifelong passion for building houses and carpentry coincided with his love for trees and wood and led to him managing a tropical hardwoods business, Hawaii Island Hardwoods. While there he oversaw the salvage harvest of dead and dying Koa trees. Salvaged logs were then milled and provided to local craftsmen and luthiers. In 2019, his work was featured in Wood-Mizer magazine.

In 2013, Dan moved back to central Virginia to start a timber frame and sawmill company. He continues to use windfalls and trees from tree trimming companies to build timber frame dwellings and furniture. This allows for a holistic approach to building and design. In 2015, he began implementing land regeneration techniques. Most of this work can be seen by visiting a picturesque 80 acre property that he manages, Millstream Farm. Millstream Farm has continued to mature and expand over the years from an overgrazed cattle brush land to a rich, regenerative farm. The farm hosts grass-fed sheep, pastured pigs, and free range chickens. The livestock is rotated holistically through the landscape building organic matter in the soil. He utilizes the animal waste and compost to support a market garden and orchard.