Austin Miller
Austin Miller, graduated from Northeast Community College in May with a major in building construction. He spent the first year learning how to frame, sheet, roof and side houses, and put in windows for a project home that was going to be auctioned off. The second year, he spent his time learning how to finish the house by putting up sheetrock, installing flooring, and more. When he wasn't working on the project home that was going to be auctioned off, he worked on a couple of Habitat for Humanity homes.
Prior to going to college, he worked for his dad, Earl, for seven summers.
“I liked doing that and wanted to continue,” Miller said.
Since he came back home, he has been roofing and managing roofing crews.
His favorite part of the job is doing something new every day.
“I also like all the guys, the other project managers. They have a lot of experience and they’re easy to get along with,” he said. “We’re all on the same page.”
Miller said Austin is a very good addition to the team of long-time players, who are helpful and supportive.
“Even though Austin’s my son, he doesn’t want any special favors, and I respect that. I value our father-son relationship much more than our work relationship. We try to keep work separate,” he said. “So far, it’s worked really smooth. It’s awesome to have him work with us. But if he wants to do something else, or work with someone else, that’s OK. I don’t want him to feel pressured to work with us. As long as he wants to, that’s great.”
Miller said when someone comes through the door looking for work, he expects them to be honest and respectful, and have pride.
“You either have that or you don’t,” he said. “You can’t teach that. As long as you have those qualities, you will do great with the company. All the project managers are very strong in all those areas.”
He described his crew as “one of the best you could wish for.”
“They’re all very different. They’re not best friends, but they respect each other. They get the job done,” he said.
With his employees, he stresses the importance of being on time to a customer’s house, but he’s flexible on scheduling according to the seasons.
“We’ll start early, about 6:30 a.m., for half or three-quarters of the year, and then start at 7 a.m. the rest of the year. I feel that we should be at the customer’s house before they go to work. That way, if they want to, they can catch us or talk to us about something.”
He also considers it a priority for his employees to put things back where they belong at the end of a work shift.
“I make them clean. They do a good job of cleaning up after themselves,” he said.
Oftentimes, customers request the same project manager repeatedly because they want to work with someone they're familiar with.
“It’s amazing how many people are that way,” he said.
He said his biggest concern as an employer is that his customers get qualified people to do the job done right, on time, and at a reasonable cost, no matter what time of the year it is or what crew is doing it.
If you would like to have your next home remodeling project done by an experienced and well-respected crew, call Earl Miller Construction at (712) 251-1033.