Backstory: Kent Miller

Photo: Kent Miller

Kent Miller

President
Caretaker Landscape & Tree Management
Gilbert, Ariz.

Education

Central High School
Sioux City, Iowa
Class of 1970

Fort Dodge Community College; Pima + Cochise Community Colleges
1972-1973; 1977-1980

Work Experience

1970-1980
Clerk
U.S. Army + Department of Defense
Fort Huachuca, Ariz.

“I joined the Army out of high school to be a helicopter pilot. I didn’t get my (desired) school, as the Vietnam conflict was gearing down. I spent most of my time producing classified documents.”

1980-1981
Real estate professional
Century 21 Frontier
Tucson, Ariz.

1982-1985
Co-founder/stockholder
Tana-Wind International
Tucson, Ariz.

1985-2011
Vice president, sales & marketing
The Groundskeeper
Tucson, Ariz.

“I met the founder of The Groundskeeper at Kiwanis.”

2012-2013
Regional sales
CMS Facilities Services, Las Vegas

2013-2015
Business development manager
GHD, Las Vegas

2015-Present
President
Caretaker Landscape
& Tree Management

“My job is to set up the structure to get us to $50 million. I don’t want to say my goal is to get us to $50 million. It’s not revenue for revenue’s sake. It’s setting up the path correctly.”

Did you know?

Miller’s hobbies include golf, big game hunting with a bow and arrow, hiking and kayaking with his pedal-drive Hobie tandem.

Miller holds the Facility Management Professional designation from the International Facility Management Association.

“About a month ago, we were having our lot resurfaced and I asked if I could park my fleet in The Groundskeeper’s parking lot. They said ‘sure.’”

Words of wisdom

“My pet peeve is reloading—when you’re not processing what I’m saying, you’re processing what you’re going to say next. I’ll hold meetings where if people raise their hand before someone stops speaking, I’ll have everybody in the room throw a foam ball at them.”

“You don’t want to increase overheads more quickly than your revenue. That’s a challenge whether you’re doing $1.5 million or $25 million.”

“You’ve got to balance your life. Part of the corporate culture here is to incorporate fun. You need to work with people you like being around.”