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The
Early Years
If ever you pull up to the Mill Construction headquarters on
Clark Street in Salinas, the outside of the unassuming building
reveals little of the history that can be found within. Nestled
between bustling offices and incorporated into the floor plan
are two old cooler rail cars, relics from Salinas’ early
days. Part of the Valley’s earliest attempts to ship produce
cross country, these are an appropriate backdrop for a company
known for its long-term commitment to the Salinas community,
agricultural clients, and innovative design.
During World War II, the company’s founder, Thomas H.
“Tommy” Mill, got his start working as a carpenter
on a defense project in Pocatello, Idaho, under a contractor
from Salinas named Ernest Lunt. Upon completion of the project,
Lunt urged Tommy to join him back in California. It took a year
of coaxing, but finally in November 1945, Mill packed up his
family from Butte, Montana, and moved to Salinas. After a few
years of building homes with Lunt, Mill went to work for the
Stolte Construction Company. Then, after getting his contractor’s
license in 1949, he branched out on his own and built custom
homes and cabinets. This proved to be a lucrative business and
he soon purchased the property where the business still thrives
today.
The Second Generation
Thomas D. Mill was born in Butte, Montana. The move to Salinas
was a big change for the family, but the younger Tom thrived,
quarterbacking his high school football team and graduating
from Salinas High in 1949. Tom had grown up with the ambition
to become an architect. But after receiving an Associate degree
in Architecture from Hartnell College in 1951, he moved on to
the University of California, Berkeley, where he discovered
his true passion – engineering. His professional education
was interrupted when he was drafted into the Army near the end
of the Korean War. After two years in Berlin as a demolitions
NCO, Tom returned to Berkeley and graduated with a B.S. Degree
in Civil Engineering in January 1957.
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Upon graduation, Tom went to work for a
contractor in the Bay Area. In 1966, after accumulating nine years
of his own experience in the construction industry, Thomas D. Mill
was ready to join his father back in Salinas and take over the reigns
at Mill Construction. The agreement between father and son was that
Tommy would run the field construction work and Tom would run the
business and estimating operations. The partnership worked well and
the company grew quickly. Under Tom’s leadership, the focus
of the business shifted from residential to commercial and industrial
buildings. The elder Mill continued to work at the family business,
mainly checking job quality and equipment service, until his death
in 1979.
The Third Generation
A third generation of the Mill family became involved in the business
when Tom’s second son, Ernie, joined the Mill Construction team
in 1985. Ernie completed and obtained his degree in construction engineering
from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, and worked for several years building
high-rise structures for Pacific Construction in Hawaii. When his
wife was expecting their first child, they decided to return home
to Salinas. After working as an estimator and project manager at Mill
Construction for four years, Ernie moved into a managerial position.
When his father retired in 1995, Ernie took over and now serves as
the company's president.
The 21st Century
The turn of the century brought about growth for the grower/shippers
in Salinas and with it brought the need for new facilities in their
winter growing region around Yuma, Arizona. With so many agriculture
clients, it was only natural that Mill Construction was asked to build
their winter facilities and Mill Construction opened a satellite office
in Yuma in 2001. Additional growth in that area across all types of
commercial construction prompted Mill Construction to officially open
a fully-staffed Yuma office in May 2007.
The Yuma office and team are led by Russell Simmons, VP of Operations,
Yuma. Russ is a second generation employee with Mill Construction,
whose father also worked for the company with Tom Mill, Sr. in the
late 50s and 60s. Russ has worked in the construction industry since
1971 and has been with Mill Construction since 1973. In 2004, he relocated
permanently to Yuma after working in the area on Mill projects since
2000.
Mill Construction continues to thrive today, and with the addition
of the Yuma office, volume has risen to over $10 million annually.
Mill Construction strives, above all else, to satisfy clients’
needs, exceed expectations, and treat subcontractors fairly. We excel
at facilitating the permit process and pride ourselves on the community
relationships we have forged over the years. The reward is simple
— almost 90 percent of our projects are repeat business or referrals
from our many satisfied clients.
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