He moved to Leeds from Anniston in 1973 and started Guardian Systems, a company that services the chemical and environmental needs of other firms throughout middle and upper Alabama.
Gerald Miller, who is also Chief Financial Officer of Rock Wool, a company that provides a high-temperature industrial insulation used by power plants, cement plants and refineries, says that companies are based on the people they employ.
He graduated from Mississippi State and has used his chemistry degrees to build his own company and the knowledge of running a firm to oversee things at Rock Wool.
His philosophy on business is to always keep things on a person-to-person basis, no matter what level of production that you may be working with at the time.
“You’ve got to listen to what the customers want and to supply them with what they need,” Miller said. “The most important part of any business is the people that make up the business. Being on the subjective end of the situation, they are the ones who put the ‘zing’ in and make it really happen, or the ones who might take the ‘zing’ out and make it fail.”
Miller believes that type of business model has been why Guardian Systems and Rock Wool have survived so long.
Guardian employs a dozen people from the Highway 411 corridor and is looked after by his wife, Linda.
Miller talked about the often hard, blue-collar work that put Leeds on the map. He said he purposefully sought to locate a business in Leeds over 30 years ago because it was a first-rate and encouraging environment to grow a company.
He does lament that the business environment in the area isn’t what it used to be.
Miller used to work for a company that supplied materials to Rock Wool. He has been overseeing the firm for nine years and helped the company come out of bankruptcy and weather a post-September 11, 2001 slump.
Miller, who was awarded the 2009 Top CFO award by the Birmingham Business Journal for his work at Rock Wool, said that any company needs to appreciate its employees from the bottom up.
“The person who has the dirtiest hands in a company is the most important because they are the one that helps pay everyone’s salary,” Miller said. “I truthfully believe that.”
Hard work in growing his business is something Miller implemented as he saw Guardian System thrive over the years. In 1990, Miller, his uncle and a handful of subcontractors built an addition to Guardian Systems that has served as the company has grown and added employees.
Features
Related Photos
-
Michael Mee/ For The Leeds News
November 25, 2009
Meet Your Neighbor – Gerald Miller
- Features
-
- Meet Your Neighbor - Terry Etheredge
- Meet Your Neighbor – Denise Miller Miller lives by the words of her mother–”Never give up.”
- Meet you neighbor – Ashley Allen “I just want to the do the best that I can.”
-
Meet Your Neighbor – Gerald Miller
“The most important part of any business is the people that make up the business.”
-
Miss Leeds Area: Jamie Brooks
“One thing a lot of girls do not realize is that pageants are not about outward beauty.”
-
A Day of Infamy Remembered, A Soldier Honored
Ralph Tribble Speaks About His Experiences in WWII, Recently
- Meet Your Neighbor � Mary Morton �I think my strongest gift is to motivate�
-
Strengthening the mind, body and spirit
-
Meet Your Neighbor – Heather Wiles
-
Meet Your Neighbor – Christy McGehee
- More Features Headlines
Romney Takes Strong Lead in Nevada GOP Victory
Nevada voters cast vote in state caucus
Celebs Suit Up for DirecTV Beach Bowl
Super Bowl's impact on Indy
Social media do the trick for Planned Parenthood
Huge snowstorm hits Colorado
SB XLVI: Adam Sandler
Bronx Zoo Selling Valentine's Day Roaches
Adam Levine: Shame on Randy Jackson
Tim Tebow Addresses His Fans and Faith
Gossip Girl's Steamy Spread
AG Holder defends actions in heated hearing
'Lucky' 9-Year-Old Receives 6-Organ Transplant
First Look: Kim Kardashian on 'Last Man Standing'
Panetta said to expect Israel attack on Iran in spring
Madonna channels Victor Cruz
Christina Hendricks Stuns in Sexy Dress
Raw Video: Snow Causes 20-Car Pileup in Italy
Raw Video: Michelle Vs. Ellen in Pushup Contest
College Football Prospect Chooses Team Based on Chick-Fil-A
