Back in 2016, Todd Miller was a Senior Design Manager and Program Manager for Benham, working on a new aluminum beverage bottle manufacturing line at Anheuser-Busch in Jacksonville, Florida. Haskell was working on the project, too.
By the time the project was completed, Haskell had acquired Benham. The project went on to win the Associated Builders and Contractor’s Eagle Award and the National Merit Award from the Design-Build Institute of America.
“Benham’s union with Haskell took advantage of each other’s strengths,” said Miller, recently promoted to Vice President. “At that time, Haskell was looking to expand their in-house design capabilities. Benham had approximately 400 employees, and Haskell was around 800. It was a major acquisition for Haskell and a testament to the engineering expertise and resources we had to complement Haskell's construction expertise. Haskell was looking to bolster their in-house design capabilities, and they continue to do that. It was complementary to both parties.”
As the leader of Haskell’s Industrial Design Division, Miller oversees Architectural and Engineering staff focused on manufacturing operations. The industrial team has 110 members who work in St. Louis, Missouri; St. Paul, Minnesota; Salt Lake City, Houston and Oklahoma City.
“We have resources that serve the entire organization, both internal and external clients. We design the process, packaging, utilities, and the buildings that house them,” Miller said. “Our team specializes in industrial end markets, including food and beverage, consumer products, beer/wine/spirits, and manufacturing. We have all A&E disciplines in-house – architecture, structural, mechanical, process, packaging, electrical, plumbing, and chemical.”
Miller has seen a shift in the industry. In the past, clients traditionally have maintained large staffs of in-house expertise, but over the years, companies have pivoted to using outsourced expertise, such as the professionals at Haskell.
“This has put us in a better position to solve our clients’ problems by leveraging our subject matter expertise and project execution knowledge to help them execute their capital projects,” Miller said.
Miller’s expertise includes bachelor’s degrees in physics and civil engineering, concentrating on structures and construction management. He planned to design roller coasters, but a summer job at Anheuser-Busch gave him a new direction.
He spent the first dozen years of his career working in Anheuser-Busch’s Corporate Engineering Division. For the first four years, he worked in the field on a $300 million expansion of the brewery in Columbus, Ohio, and the next eight years in corporate engineering.
Miller moved to Benham in 2009, where he was a project manager for Food & Beverage and Manufacturing projects with clients including Anheuser-Busch, Monsanto, Simplot and Church & Dwight.
After the acquisition by Haskell, Miller’s responsibilities shifted to office leadership and progressed to divisional leadership.
As vice president, Miller said he wanted the Industrial Design Division to continue to grow as it supports existing clients and develops new ones. Part of that growth strategy is expanding services offerings that support the industrial markets and create new opportunities.
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