After serving in the U.S. Navy, Tom Miller,started Thomas Miller & Co., Inc. in Colmar, PA, with one truck and an objective to provide quality office coffee and food service coffee service. The business has become a family passion that now serves a variety of specialty beverages and other unique offerings. Through careful money management and following the taste preferences of their customers, the Millers have succeeded in a home grown office coffee service operation ready to transition to the next generation.
Adapting with the times
For several years, Tom ran the operation solo until he met his now-wife Cathie, who he quickly put to work. By their second date, she was already helping him with his business' books.
“He was a jack-of-all-trades and I had a background running a deli so I already had a mind for business," said Cathie Miller, who now has a general manager role that also encompasses purchasing and accounting responsibilities. "I maintained my own career until we got married but then his own business really took off and he needed a second person so I agreed to help out.”
Today, with a staff 10 employees Thomas Miller & Co., Inc. has grown into a specialty office coffee and food service coffee service serving counties throughout Pennsylvania, Central New Jersey and Northern Delaware. The family business offers a variety of office coffee brewing equipment and coffees that can be tailor-made to suit specific hot beverage needs in both taste and budget. Currently, the company’s customers comprise of 60 percent office coffee service and 40 percent foodservice business.
“When we first started this business in 1980s, coffee was on the downside,” said Miller. “It wasn’t until Starbucks came along and introduced coffee to younger generations that things turned around. Employees are now demanding quality coffee at work and employers are answering that demand because they don’t want them going out. Similarly in our food service segment, we are finding that they do not want the national brands and instead they are looking for some uniqueness to offer their customers in their restaurant or deli. So, we have had to jump up our game and find different suppliers to make that happen.”
Miller says the company’s priority to cater to its clients has set it apart from its competitors, especially larger corporations. “Our response time is usually within an hour to five hours of anybody calling whether it’s a service issue or product issue,” she explained. “Our turnaround is amazing and our staff acts exactly how my husband and I acted when we first started. The customer comes first and we figure out the other pieces after.”
A Family Affair
Not only are customers prioritized by the Millers, so are their employees. The majority of the company has been a part of the team for more than 10 years, with the service manager going on his 23rd year at Thomas Miller & Co., Inc.
“Our employees who have been with us for a long time feel part of that family,” Miller said. “There is a consistency and a personal touch that we provide.”
Working with a spouse also has presented unique challenges. “We obviously eat and sleep coffee,” said Miller. Tom and Cathie are currently in the process of “semi-retiring” and have been turning to their experienced team as well as their 26-year-old son to manage the company when they are out of town. “Our son has been involved since he was a little boy and now is transitioning into a leadership role. The team respects his youth but also understands that one day he will have the authority.”
Lessons Learned
Overspending, Miller believes, is one of the biggest mistakes people make when starting their own business.
“They aren’t prepared when opportunities come along to grow the business because they have overspent,” she explained, adding that they have always prioritized having ample funds available to grow and adapt with the industry. “I have seen many OCS operators and vending guys start their businesses, but as they start to grow, they don’t have the funds to buy new equipment so eventually they have to sell."
Having a customer-centric approach has also proven to be successful for the Millers, who occasionally return to their roots as route drivers. “I love being able to meet my customers, know my customers and take care of my customers,” Miller said. “But as the business grew over the years, I was needed more on the inside to deal with management. I still like to go out on the road and if somebody is out sick, my husband and I jump in the truck and go see our customers.”
