Miller helps nurture unique corporate culture at Cascade Engineering

GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. — Mark Miller may hold the title of “boss,” but he preaches servant leadership where employees come first.

Miller is still the relatively new president and, more recently, CEO of Cascade Engineering Inc. The Detroit native, though, has clearly bought into the culture that founder Fred Keller began building in 1973.

“Nobody works for me,” the 52-year-old Miller said. “I work for everyone. Let me tell you, it's a heck of an honor. It's a privilege I take very seriously. My job is to make sure they're empowered. They're enabled. And help remove barriers.”

Miller does have a 10-person leadership team that organizes the 11 divisions that make up Cascade. Miller came up through the company's largest division — truck and bus supplier CK Technologies — where he first served as president in 2007. Keller, meanwhile, remains chairman, owner and confidant to Miller. Keller's in the office once a week, but divides his time between teaching at two universities and with community projects.

Business is strong at Cascade. The company stood at $240 million in annual sales as recently as 2010. In fiscal year 2014, sales hit $358 million. Miller fully expects $375 million this year with more to come for the injection molder

headquartered on the west side of Michigan.

For example, CK Technologies makes up $150 million of Cascade's 2015 annual sales.

“CK has not optimized for their growth potential yet. They're certainly positioned to get to $250 million within the next five years. There's no doubt about it,” he said.

Similarly, the Automotive Americas division could generate $100 million annually in five years, doubling its current $50 million in annual sales.

“There's a lot of non-profit zones in automotive,” said Miller, who cut his teeth at Ford Motor Co. before transitioning to Tier 1 suppliers like Plastech Engineered Products. “Having said that, there are still profits to be had. You just need to be selective in what your product lines are and who your customers are,” Miller said.

Cascade could also grow through acquisitions despite past emphasis on organic growth.

“I'm probably more biased to doing acquisitions than Fred has been in the past and he knows this and he's OK with that. Just a little different philosophy. None on the near-term radar. But I wouldn't be surprised if we're a little more active on that regard in the future,” he said.

While profits drive the business at Cascade, Miller carries on Keller's triple bottom line mentality of emphasizing people and planet as well. This manifests itself in the company's active welfare-to-career program, its prisoner-re-entry program and even its division (Triple Quest) that makes water filtration products to provide clean water in third-world countries.

“These programs help us recruit and they also support our culture. So it builds on itself. That also helps with our retention rate, too, not only for folks in those programs but other folks who see this and support it and feel good about where they work,” Miller said.

But for Miller, it all comes back to people. It's what keeps him up at night.

“I believe the key differentiator in businesses is people. So, for me, it's all about talent. Who's going to win the talent battleground? That goes to recruiting, developing and retaining. And it's not just on the skilled-trade side, which of course we need that, but given that we've got a portfolio of companies, it's on the leadership side. So, developing tomorrow's leaders. We've got wonderful leaders today. We want to continue to add businesses. We want to continue to grow. So we need to make sure we're providing the necessary skills, training, support to those folks who could be the leaders of tomorrow.”

He's working closely with one specific future leader, Christina Keller (daughter of Fred) who serves as president of CK Technologies.

“She's doing a wonderful job. An incredibly intelligent individual. Really understanding the business. She's on a career path — eventually, ideally — not pre-destined, no air of privilege on her part, either — to be the CEO of the business,” said Miller of his job advising the next generation's servant leader.