A Tribute to An Atlanta Business Icon
Atlanta and the global retail world said so long last week, and reflects again today at 3 pm in Atlanta on a true industry pioneer Harmon "Sandy" Miller III. I was just one of thousands of business professionals, factory workers, creatives, retail web technicians, warehousing associates, store installers and other third-party service providers who had the privilege of working for Sandy and his privately-owned company Miller Zell, nestled in the SW corner of Atlanta near the airport. The company known recently for work with retailers from Wal Mart to Walgreens, restaurant chains Chick-Fil-A and Krispy Kreme, automotive dealers, entertainment properties Cirque and the Atlanta Braves, and multiple retail bank brands.
"Sandy had a 50-plus year career leading Miller Zell, helping retailers communicate with their store customers. In leading this effort, he impacted so many people," said Chip Miller, CEO of Miller Zell.
At age 12 and on the backside of the great depression, Sandy brought his West Coast entrepreneur mindset from Tacoma to Atlanta, whizzed through Atlanta's famous North Fulton High School and graduated in Economics from Emory in 1957. At the age of 24, Sandy boldly bought a printing company for $5,000 cash. Before he turned 30, Sandy started Miller Zell, at first printing political bumper stickers for the 1964 Johnson - Goldwater Presidential campaign, encouraging voters to get out and vote. As a tribute and for perspective on how long Sandy has impacted the business world, below are two ads that ran during the Johnson-Goldwater campaign for each party. The presidential campaign videos below demonstrate a half century of Sandy's working history, how times have changed, and how politics sometimes never change. From 1964 on, Sandy worked this entire time at Miller Zell, often coming to the office 6 or 7 days a week.
1964 Lyndon B Johnson Ad (click You Tube arrow below)
1964 Barry Goldwater Ad (click on the link below)
https://www.c-span.org/video/?406491-1/1964-barry-goldwater-presidential-campaign-ad
I worked with and for Sandy for just 6 of his 54 years at Miller Zell. Other employees have worked with him for more than a quarter of a century. The honor was mine. Sandy built one of the largest private companies in what was then a small Atlanta town of less than 1 MM people -- all on his own without any modern day private equity assistance.
In Ted Turner-like fashion (Ted reportedly wore a robe, Sandy was fully dressed in a suit and tie) Sandy would roam the office asking professionals probing questions and was hard pressed accept "no" for an answer. If you were bold enough to tell him no, he would ask "why not"? This would follow with a 30-minute debate (he was a master debater and 1956 Georgia Chess champion) on why it was possible to execute something versus the conventional wisdom of not executing. Sandy was born a West Coast turned Atlantan entrepreneur and continued this mentality even after the company was large and established. He passed this onto hundreds of his direct reports and sales executives.
Sandy is survived by his two sons, Chip and Ted, and four grandchildren, Ted, Ellie, Grayson and Asher, as well as his half-brother, Jim Miller. His wife of 48 years, Harriet Higgins Miller, passed away in October of 2014.
If you knew Sandy, worked with Miller Zell, or would just like to honor him, reply to the Miller Zell friends and family community below with a comment or your favorite story below. You can also donate to the Georgia Alzheimer's Association in Sandy Miller's name by clicking on the link below.
R.I.P Harmon Sandy Baker Miller III. You will be missed.
Harmon "Sandy" Baker Miller III -- MAY 21, 1935 - NOVEMBER 20, 2018
Print Market Specialist at Primex Plastics Corporation
5 年I remember meeting him at a trade show & watching him laugh about some crazy comments a group of us made. His gentleness & creative vision really touched my heart. No matter where & when we’d meet - he always remembered my name. I only pray that we all remember gentleness & laughter can be shared to all we encounter on our journey of life. Condolences to all his friends, family & work associates. He will definitely be missed.
Retired at Retired
5 年I was privileged to have had a few meetings and conversations with Sandy over the years. I spent my career in the same industry and knew of Miller-Zell as a formidable competitor. My memories of Sandy were that he was an insightful, forward thinking, creative man. Most memorable, however was that he seemed to be a humble man. He changed the way I looked at our business. Condolences to the family.
Well said, Curt. I also consider it a tremendous privilege to have worked with Sandy and the team he led at Miller Zell. I feel confident that his impact will continue to be felt throughout MZ and its clients in years to come. Very thankful for the many great lessons learned and friendships developed (including yours) during my time there. Thanks for sharing!
Brands | Partnerships | Sports | AI | CX | Robotics | MarTech
5 年What surprised me most about 1964 Ads (the year Sandy started Miller Zell)? . . . when you listen to the Campaign Ads, these politicians used extreme terms back then like "BEARDED DICTATOR" and "BAY OF PIGS" and catchy phrases like "WE MUST LOVE EACH OTHER OR WE MUST DIE" to increase viewer engagement? However, the news was only 30 minutes long and there were no replays on Twitter or Facebook :-)? ?Every ad or bumper sticker that Sandy and Miller Zell printed counted toward American voter impressions.