Shop Profile: The Legend Behind the Godfather

The Legend Behind the Godfather

By Starla Miller

Jim Miller’s dad was a Little Debbie Snack Cake distributor in Arkansas in the 70’s. One of Jim’s tasks each year was to pop bubbles

out of the decals on the side of the delivery truck with a needle and smooth them out. After a couple of years of doing this, Jim told his dad to tell the bakery to send the decals to

them, and he would figure out a way to put them on the truck.

Miller Decals began in 1979 when Jim lined up his first decal on the side of his dad’s truck at the age of 15.

There were several snack cake distributors in the area.

Over the next several years, Jim continued his work smoothing out the bubbles.

In 1982, while living near Jackson, Mississippi, Jim was pursuing a graphics arts degree at Hinds Community College. A business owner approached Jim’s teacher asking if any students had any experience applying decals. Jim accepted the job with Stewart’s Sandwich Shop, applying decals to their delivery trucks. Miller Decals then officially became a business.

In 1996, the Olympics were held in Atlanta. It was the place to work in the graphics and sign business, so Jim decided to move the company. The Olympics kept him very busy, and he made some great contacts with local businesses. Over time, he expanded to include all types of graphics and signage installation: vehicle wraps, ADA sign installation, textured surface vinyl application, wall, window, and floor graphics, banners, post and panel signs, etc. He loved a challenge and accepted jobs that enabled him to learn new techniques and evolve.

In 2010, he became Lowen Certified, 3M Preferred, and Fellers Certified. These certifications opened many doors.

In 2011 he built a new shop to work from and became certified with Avery Dennison.

Over the next several years, he added Arlon, Orafol, Mactac, Geek Wraps, PDAA, UASG, Hexis, Knifeless, and became a member of Masters of Branding and Paint is Dead organizations. Having exposure to many great vinyl materials to choose for application, the preferred one to work with is the appropriate one for the job. Examples of this include the correct material for the substrate such as brick, drywall, windows; material not oversaturated with inks, laminated perforated material for removal in cold weather, etc. Having the right material show up for an application is a winning situation for any installer. Jim says, “Love what you do. Many installers are getting into our industry for different reasons. It’s awesome to start something with a passion for getting paid for your work, but if you don’t love what you’re doing, it becomes a job. Miller Decals has never been a job; it was and is who I am. I am happy to learn everything I can about this craft, share it with others, and get paid for doing what I love.”

Q&A with Jim & Starla

Q: Considering your longevity in the market, why was this the right time for a new shop/expansion?

After 32 years of installing and not having a shop, to an additional 12 years in our existing shop it was time to expand our team and create an atmosphere where we could optimize production flow. We purchased the property in 2018 and had hoped to be in our new space in October of 2020. We persevered through the process and are excited to finally see the dream coming to life.

Q: What were your biggest challenges in making this happen?

The first challenge we faced was after a plat drawing purchase, the proper property survey found that the state of Georgia and federal government held chunks of land that we had bought. This extended the time to start by a year. The next immediate challenge was the 2020 timing of Covid and its effects on the economy with the shut downs, the banking industry adapting to PPP lending solutions, and supply chain issues for building materials and costs.

The last challenge has been with many different construction processes in general. Those range from permitting, to county land records not in order, zoning issues, soil tests with bad dirt, county requirements for structural engineering and architectural aesthetics, delays in contractors or materials, miscommunications with the general contractor. We don’t know what percentage of those are normal, but our experience has seemed to constantly be one step forward and two steps back. Making it all happen has not been easy, but seeing it come together now is very satisfying.

We want to thank everyone for their love and support through this process. Our immediate and extended family and friends near and wide and coworkers past and present have endured numerous hours of business conversations, we thank you for your graciousness of listening. There have been many prayers prayed on our behalf from people we very close with to others we have not met and we want to thank you for sending unexpected angels to watch over us and help us through it all. To all of the wrap family who has supported us in so many

tremendous ways, from coming to share the workload to reposting something on social media or asking us to write an article to picking up the phone when we call, etc… We can’t count all of them, but you know who you are and how you contributed to our success and we thank you for that! Thank you to all of the Miller Decals crew past and present for getting our business to this point. We could not be opening this new shop without your hard work and support. Last but certainly not in the least, a huge thank you to all of our customers, businesses and manufacturers who have continually welcomed us into their operations whether it be installing a job, testing new materials, demonstrating a product at a trade show or sharing knowledge to grow together. We have felt so much love from everyone

throughout the years. All of this support is what has sustained us through the many challenges.

Q: How does the partnership with The Wrap Institute play into your new operation?

Miller Decals and The Wrap Institute have a long history of working together raising awareness of vehicle wraps and helping others be exposed to techniques, materials, and tools. The new facility will definitely deepen that mutual commitment. We have some exciting things developing for the coming year! We are looking forward to sharing them soon.

Q: Being the “King & Queen” of the wraps market, did you feel pressure to lead the way for others in the market looking to grow and take risks?

Jim and I have grown so much over the last 12 years in both of our individual and joint journeys in the industry. Jim has always been a dreamer and I have supported him to make those dreams come to life. Both of us together pour our hearts into what we do and respect each other for our contribution and commitment. That holds true for our family as well. The wrap family is just an extension of our lives.

Dreaming and creating this shop is personal, but it is also the next logical step to provide a state of the art facility where installers can grow together and have successful careers.

Q: If you never got into wrapping, where would you be now?

There is no way of knowing this, but the artistic nature of graphic design was what Jim pursued in college, so I am guessing he would have been in the industry contributing in one way or another and probably would have ended up wrapping anyway. I don’t think his path would have taken him to be a rock star, chef, or woodworker even though he can play guitar, cook and build pretty much anything. He was destined to be a wrapper and I was destined to be his soul mate. It is where we are now and I wouldn’t change anything about that!