Earl Miller
Owner of Earl Miller Construction, would like to take the opportunity to pay tribute to his employees who have given many years of dedicated service to him and his customers.
Among the employees he would like to recognize are project managers David Ross, Terry Northrup, Steve Kay and Austin Miller.
David Ross
Earl Miller, whose business is based in Homer, Neb., met David Ross in the 1980s. Miller was an industrial arts instructor at Winnebago High School in Winnebago, Neb., and Ross was his student.
Ross continued his education at Dana College in Blair, Neb., and worked for Miller in the summers from 1982-1984. When he graduated from college in May 1985 with a bachelor's degree in education, he started full time with Earl Miller Construction instead of looking for a teaching job.
“I really enjoyed working at Earl Miller Construction tremendously and it was tough to find a teaching job with no experience,” Ross said.
Ross has enjoyed various aspects of his job as a project manager, which he said is more like being a foreman. He, like the other project managers, has the responsibility of taking a job and managing it from start to finish. He meets with customers, gets the sub-contractors needed to do the job and coordinates scheduling with customers. He also answers questions from customers.
“We’re there to please them,” Ross said. “We do what they want. We’re always available. They can call nights and weekends when they have a brainstorm. They may call and ask, ‘What do you think of this? Is that going to be a problem?’ We’re there daily meeting with customers. Hopefully, we know exactly what they want. It’s what we strive for. We want them to be happy with our work and that of our sub-contractors.”
Ross said he likes being able to perform different tasks every day, meeting new people, working outside when the weather is nice, and working with his hands.
“I grew up on a farm, so this type of work was something that appealed to me,” he said. “It’s an avenue I’m glad I chose.”
Ross said that remodeling is more of a challenge than new construction, but it keeps life interesting.
Working with Miller, he said, is the next best thing to working on your own.
“It can be pretty overwhelming going out on your own, considering what’s going on in the world. Earl gives you the freedom. He trusts that the responsibilities he gives you will be taken care of,” he said. “In turn, he’s very well-respected in the community and by customers. That'’s why we get a lot of repeat business.”
As a person, Miller treats people fairly, and he’s easy to work for, Ross commented.
“He’s a very thorough person. You have to be in this kind of work. He’s a terrific guy to work for. He doesn’t seem like a boss-boss,” he said. “He’s also a very honest and trustworthy person. He’s always looking out for the employees and customers we have. He wants to get the best for them. He’s very fair. He listens a lot, not only to customers’ opinions, but ours as well. That’s obvious considering all the years we’ve spent working for Earl.”
Miller said Ross is very considerate of other people. “He’s also very good at finish work, detail and getting the job done,” he said.
Terry Northrup
Miller met Terry Northrup at one of his apartment buildings.
“I lived in an apartment building Earl owned and started out mowing the property,” Northrup said. “I was working at IBP (now Tyson’s) and I went on strike with the other workers, so I started helping Earl on a project in Winnebago. The government had built 25 new houses and Earl had the contract to do sheetrocking and trim work.”
He worked some full-time hours for Earl Miller Construction then went back to IBP for a while. He continued to work for Miller part time.
“Earl had a crew of 10 guys that worked in the evenings,” said Northrup, who learned some of his handyman skills from his father, an industrial arts teacher. “I did that for 12 years then started working for him full time when there was an open position.”
Northrup said what he likes most about working for Earl Miller Construction is the atmosphere.
“It’s very easygoing. Earl and the other guys are easy to work with. On a lot of job sites games are played. Here, everything is upfront, open and honest,” he said.
Like Ross, he enjoys being on his own most of the time.
“We meet in the mornings and from then on we handle the job our way,” he said.
Working with customers is another highlight for him.
“It’s fun to go in and take something that doesn’t look so nice and turn it into a livable space, something you’re proud of. It’s also fun to go in and have some ideas, people use them, and the project turns out really nice.”
Northrup takes pride in learning about new products and methods of construction. He has enjoyed the tips that fellow co-worker Austin Miller brought back with him from his education at Northeast Community College in Norfolk, Neb.
“Everybody does things differently. Austin learned some things and he brought them back to us. You can keep learning if you want,” he said.
Northrup said he likes working with Earl Miller because he is very honest and genuinely interested in his employees.
“He thinks a lot about the people who work for him. I think he really cares about them,” he said.
Miller said Northrup is well-liked by customers.
“He makes sure they get what they want and the job is completed. He’s good at multiple tasks and having everything run smoothly.”
Steve Kay
Steve Kay has worked for Earl Miller Construction for 11 years full time. Like the others, he worked part time for Miller doing smaller projects, as well as roofing and siding.
He learned about Earl Miller Construction through his friend, Terry Northrup.
“Terry worked at IBP with my wife, Donna, and he said Earl Miller Construction needed some part-time help. He was working part time nights and weekends.”
Kay’s favorite part of working for Earl Miller Construction is the variety of jobs and the different people he works with.
“Before, I worked in maintenance, doing the same job, in the same building, and with the same people. Now, I might build a garage, put up drywall, or do concrete work. It's pretty hard to get bored,” he said.
The customers, he said, come from different walks of life, and have their own personalities. Sometimes, he almost becomes part of their family, as is often the case with the other project managers.
Working with Miller 22 years, he has noticed the way he treats other people.
“He’s very fair. Whether you have known him two years or 20 years, he expects the same out of everyone. He treats everyone the same,” Kay said.
Miller said Kay is respected by his co-workers, and customers say he does everything well.
“He’s always wiling to help, learn and be a team player,” he said.
Austin Miller
Austin Miller, graduated from Northeast Community College in 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, 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.