Building Beyond the Blueprint: The Millers on Crafting a 50-Year Legacy in Business and Life

You don’t usually think of construction stories starting with paper routes. But for Tom Miller, those early mornings delivering news taught him the foundations of entrepreneurship: hustle, customer service, and owning your outcomes. “I didn’t realize it then,” he says, “but I was already running a business.”

Decades later, with his brother and longtime business partner Harley, and his daughter Traci by his side, Tom’s still building. However, now it’s not just buildings, it’s legacy.

Miller Construction is a familiar name in South Florida. But in this episode of Locality’s Making Bank Podcast, we peel back the curtain on how it came to be: the risks they took, the culture they built, and the decisions they made when no one was watching.

Tom walked away from big-company security because he didn’t want to leave Florida. Traci walked into the business after a personal reset, with two young kids and zero assumptions. What started as “just a job” evolved into purpose, and eventually leadership.

There’s a throughline to their story: doing the right thing, even when it hurts. Like walking away from a toxic client during a recession, or sending a $26,000 refund to a former client simply because it was the honest move. “It would’ve cost us more to stay,” Traci reflects. That decision became one of the company’s proudest moments.

Now, with a second office open and business expanding across Florida, the Millers aren’t slowing down. They’re stewarding a culture grounded in humility, responsibility, and community impact, just like Tom’s wife Ginny once modeled when people knew him simply as “her husband.”

“Businesses can’t be families,” Tom says. “But they can act like one.”

This conversation isn’t just for builders. It’s for anyone who’s ever wrestled with how to grow without losing yourself, how to choose the right partners, or how to lead with both strength and soul.

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