;
Keith & Mandy Miller
Hit me.
Life is a gamble right? Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. The house always wins. Last night that house was right in the middle of Glyndon, Maryland, as we celebrated Keith Miller’s 40th Birthday, with many of our neighbors and friends. Talk about a great way to throw a party, a casino night in a volunteer fire station, complete with blackjack tables, craps tables, a roulette wheel and plenty of funny money.
It’s easy to drop $25,000 when the money isn’t real, and I did. I lost $25K in the first few minutes I got there at the craps table and later on dropped another 25k at the blackjack table. You don’t care about knowing when to hold ’em, when to fold ’em or anything else when the greenbacks are not legal tender. If the money had been mine, craps would have taken on a whole other meaning. 🙂
But there’s a story behind the fun here and it is one worth telling. It’s the gamble Keith Miller made in coming to America almost 14 years ago, a gamble that he has made pay off. It’s a true immigrant success story and the following I am posting from an article I found online about Miller and his franchise, Miller’s Minuteman Press, in Maryland. Keith is funny, smart, a hard worker and especially humble, so I never knew all the details, but I’m glad I looked it up, the following from Presstek.com:
In July 1999, after obtaining the necessary immigration visas and work permits, Keith Miller relocated from South Africa to Baltimore. He came to the US arriving in a new country without any business contacts and a very limited social network. Not knowing American business practices and having a limited network of family and friends to draw on, Miller decided to follow the franchise route in establishing a business.
Miller located a Minuteman Press franchise that was for sale in Baltimore, just south of Pikesville. This business had been operating for many years, but was up for sale because the owner was in semi-retirement. Miller didn’t have any print experience or business contacts in the Baltimore area, but saw an opportunity and decided to pursue it, purchasing the Baltimore business in December 1999.
In 10 short years, Miller has substantially grown the business by acquiring four additional stores –
Westminster in 2005, Towson in 2006, Hunt Valley in 2007 and Lutherville in 2010 – along with opening a Central Production-Facility in September 2008. His perseverance, inspirational and motivational leadership, networking collaborations and his dedicated team of employees have
been key contributors to his success. Today, in 2013, his company is recognized as number 26 on Quick Printing Magazine’s Quick Printing Top 100.
Congratulations to Miller, his company, and his family. Keith and his wife Mandy are raising three beautiful daughters and are just really great people. The party was as much about Keith turning 40 as it was a celebration of their success as a family, in the community and the proud franchise Keith has built, in and around Baltimore.
The success of Miller’s Minuteman Press didn’t happen overnight, there is no such thing. Success is made up of hard work, dedication and passion. I know Keith loves what he does, is proud of his franchise and even more proud of his family.
;
So, Cheers to Keith and Mandy. Enjoy the weekend. It’s Miller Time.
Until next time, thanks for taking the time.
Mark