Cal Miller
Associated Grocers of Florida
Mr. Miller grew up in Connecticut, and credits his growth to a few key people in his life. His father died while he was a young man, but he taught Mr. Miller the values of honesty and hard work. Mr. Miller had two great mentors: Joe Palmer, Jr. (Palmer’s Supermarkets, Darien, Conn.) and Dominick Cingari (Grade A Supermarkets of Stamford, Conn.). Mr. Miller moved quickly into senior management positions and later came to work with Julian Leavitt and David Katz of Sweet Life Foods and Adam Bozzuto, founder of Bozzuto’s.
Mr. Miller has a simple management style. He puts the best possible people on his executive team, makes sure everyone knows the vision, and then gets out of the way. Mr. Miller views his role as providing the resources to make it possible for everyone to be successful.
Mr. Miller is still quite active as he sits on the boards of Shrine International and the National Grocers Association. He has received numerous industry awards, including Connecticut Food Association Man of the Year, March of Dimes Man of the Year, and the Good Citizenship Award. In 2009, Mr. Miller received the Miami Chamber of Commerce award as Exporter of the Year.
Today his son, Chris Miller, is the chief operating officer of the company, and the board has selected Chris to replace his father when retirement arrives in a few years.
