The Mille's Central Air Inc. business grew with the family -- Vice President Jodi Miller, President Rick Miller and children Taylor and Ricky. [Courtesy photo]

Ricky Miller grew up with the family business. [Courtesy photo]

Ricky and Taylor Miller [Courtesy photo]

Rick Miller started Miller's Central Air in 1995. [Courtesy photo]

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Miller’s Central Air Inc. is celebrating the company’s 30th anniversary in May.

The family-owned business began with a single truck in 1995. “My mom and dad worked out of their house,” said Ricky Miller. “My dad got an old lineman van that had a light on top. My mom would dispatch his calls from the laundry room with a pager. He would drive to the nearest pay phone to find out where he was going. It slowly grew to where it is now.”

Taylor Miller Lot said the business’ first employee, Michael Sullivan, started in 1995. “He is now our operations manager.” The company now has 93 employees and more than 60,000 customers.

Rick Miller learned the air conditioning trade as a teenager from his brother-in-law. His dad had 13 brothers and sisters, Ricky explained, so some were considerably older than him. Rick’s children also learned the business starting young.

“Summers, when I was eight or nine, I would sweep out the warehouse,” said Ricky. When he was 14, he started riding on the truck with the service techs. As a teen, he worked summers at the family business. After earning a bachelor’s degree in business from Webber International University, he joined the company full time.

Taylor Miller Lott followed a similar path. “In high school I would work in the office,” she explained. “I went off to school as well and started full time in 2015.” Taylor also studied business, earning an associate degree from South Florida State College.

The company started in Lake Placid, and now has three locations, serving customers in Lake Placid, Jensen Beach, Stuart, Vero Beach and Okeechobee.

“In the Okeechobee area, we are trying to be a big part of the community, with charity work and servicing our customers,” said Vincent Petruzzelli, HVAC Service Coordinator. He said they sponsor local events and sports teams.

Services include:
• Residential Ac repairs, installations and replacements,
• Residential heating repairs, installations and replacements,
• HVAC maintenance service agreements, safety inspections and tune-ups,
• Ductless AC, geothermal, and heat pump systems and services,
• Indoor air quality services, including Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) inspections,
• Commercial HVAC services, including repairs and replacements,
• Duct cleaning, dryer vent cleaning and home insulation services.
• Home automation, controls and thermostats.

Climate change brings new challenges the air conditioning business.

“Humidity levels have certainly gone up,” said Taylor.

“Summers are hotter – or at least that is what it seems in the past year or two,” said Vincent. “With the increased heat, it is going to make your system run a lot harder and a lot longer.

“Making sure the system is maintained on a regular basis will help the system run efficiently,” he continued. “The system will be more efficient if it is maintained properly.”

He said regular maintenance is important year round. “Not many people use the heat down here, but this last winer a lot of people were running their heaters,” he explained. “Making sure the home is insulated will keep the heat inside.”

It’s important to change the filters regularly, added Taylor. “Dirty coils make for obstruction to air flow.” She said filters should be changed at least once a month, year round.

As they celebrate the company’s anniversary, “we want to thank our customers who have been sticking with us for so long,” said Taylor. “We have customers who have stayed with us since the beginning.”

She said they plan to have a small celebration at the Lake Placid office to honor Rick Miller. “We’re really proud of him,” said Taylor.