Investor Spotlight
Miller's Professional Imaging
This month, the spotlight shines on Miller's Professional Imaging, a photography lab primarily serving portrait, wedding, event and school photographers. In March 2001, Miller’s opened their Columbia facility for additional capacity to manage digital production.
Currently, the Columbia facility employs 150 team members that will process roughly 19 million files in 2006, from any of over 12,000 customers nationwide, with revenues near $30 million. The majority of those orders will arrive online, allowing Miller’s to provide next day service throughout the US.
CEO of Miller’s Professional Imaging is MU alum Richard Miller. His father Bill, also a Mizzou alum, started Miller's Studio as a one-man operation in Pittsburg, Kansas. After serving as a combat photographer in World War II, Bill reopened his studio which then included a camera shop and a small photo finishing operation. In 1968, a small color lab was started at the present location called Miller's Professional Color Service.
The Pittsburg, Kansas, facility still serves as company headquarters. There, 290 team members handle film, digital, and administrative functions. That facility is expected to account for more than $40 million in revenue in 2006. In addition, the Pittsburg staff also handles production for Mpix.com, the three-year old online consumer division geared toward the serious advanced amateur or emerging professional photographer. In 2006, Miller’s anticipates receiving approximately 15 million files through this service, with customers throughout the US and Canada.
The addition of the Columbia facility has provided Miller's room to grow and enhanced their reputation in the industry. Customers and vendors are frequent visitors to the facilities, and consistently comment on enjoying Mid-Missouri. In addition, Jason Becking, Miller's Human Resource Director (and also a MU alum) says, "We support REDI because we believe that the better our business community becomes, the more it benefits all businesses. Potential employees tend to migrate to these types of communities and thus our ability to hire top notch managers is much easier."
The professional photographic industry continues to change rapidly, but Miller’s strives to lead in developing digital processing procedures and products. Miller’s has lost nearly 85% of their film business from their peak year of 2001, but have been fortunate to grow overall sales substantially. They continue to constantly change to new and better ways of serving their customers. Continuing that trend, Miller’s recently began offering short-run press products - business cards, greeting cards, brochures, calendars, soft- and hard-cover books, etc., through both Miller's and Mpix.
The onslaught of digital cameras and improved technology has meant much change for Miller’s and their industry, but they continue to be excited about new opportunities. One thing that hasn’t changed…their goal to provide flawless products and services, on time, with minimal waste, resulting in 100% customer satisfaction.
For more information, visit www.millerslab.com