When we asked our social media followers what type of content they wanted to see on our blog, a very popular idea was to have “meet our employee" entries. So with that being heard by you all, we do plan on occasionally doing write ups about employees and their time working here at Miller’s Meat Market. So to begin, let me introduce to you Carl Miller!
I decided to introduce Carl first because he has a birthday coming up! On the 29th of April, he will be turning 18 years old. So in celebration of that, he got to be the first Miller’s employee featured on the blog.
Carl is the son of Darrell Miller and of course grandson of Danny Miller, the owners of Miller’s Meat Market. Carl has been around the family business for the majority of his life, and during my conversation with him he told me a little bit about his Miller’s Meat Market experience. Carl was named after his great-grandfather, who started the Miller’s Meat Market family business. (In our first blog post titled, “Welcome to the Blog”, we go into more depth of the history of the store and how it all began.) Carl and the rest of the Darrell Miller family moved into the house that is attached to the store when Carl was 8, this is the same age that his grandfather Danny was when the store first came under Miller management in 1962. Carl recalled that when he was young, about 8 years old, he would sit up above the holding pens on a bag of sawdust and run the winch for whoever was harvesting the animals. One other time, Darrell taught Carl and his younger brother Trey how to use the cash register after the store had closed. He explained that his “Dad got together a bunch of candy and other stuff, and we had to punch in the numbers and give him back the right change.” It was young experiences and lessons like this that has made Carl such a valuable employee.
Carl and Trey Miller learning from their Father, Darrell, at a young age.
Here the boys seem to be getting a lesson on how to fill the maple syrup bottles we sell in the store. The boys were taught how to be helpful around the business when they were younger, and helpful is what they continue to be.
Carl has grown to enjoy working around the business more and more as he grows older. His preferred jobs would be working on the harvesting floor, and cooking the chicken for our Friday chicken barbeques in the summertime. He would rather work out back in the custom shop than he would the store, but he is a great worker in both environments. Carl has responsibilities even after the store and custom shop close. Most every night before he gets to go to bed he comes out to the shop and changes out the products in the smokers. In deer season, the smokers are so busy that often times he has to get up around midnight and go take care of the smokers in the custom shop, he knows that this is his job and he does it without complaining. He enjoys the people he works with, which include some of his close friends and of course family members, and says for the most part he actually really enjoys working under his father. Outside of when he is working he likes to hangout with his friends, and is involved with the Living Hope church and youth group. This year Carl and his siblings switched over to homeschooling, and Carl is a senior who plans to graduate at the end of this school year. His plans after graduation are to continue being involved with Miller’s Meat Market. As of right now, his long-term plans center around the family business and he does have goals to take over the business when his time comes. Although those plans could change, there is no doubt that Carl has a passion for the future of the business and very well may be a big part of it.
What Miller’s Meat Market products does Carl enjoy most?
His favorites are Old Style Summer Sausage, Hillbilly Ch’arki, and Jalapeno & Cheese Bologna!
This hardworking young man is a valuable asset in almost any situation. Carl is nothing but eager to get jobs done, and knows that efficiency is necessary when doing his job. He works well in customer service as well as physical labor, and you will never catch him slacking off when there is work to be done. We are thankful to have employees like Carl that make the business run smoothly.