Ernest Miller was a German born scenic artist and house painter who moved to Oregon in 1885. He was unhappy with the paints that were available. At that time paint had to be shipped “around the horn” from the east coast, (prior to the opening of the Panama Canal in 1914, freight from the East Coast was shipped around the southern most tip of South America in order to reach the West Coast) and the quality did not stand up to the demands of our Northwest weather. In 1890 he purchased a stone mill and began manufacturing his own paints. His products were of such good quality that other paint contractors came to him to ask if they could use “Ernest Miller Paint” and the Miller Paint Company was born.

Ernest Miller and his three sons owned and operated Miller Paint Company in Portland, Oregon for two complete generations. In World War I two of the Miller sons left to join the military.

Walt Miller, Ernest’s youngest son became the company manager, a position that he maintained until his death in 1990. It was Walt’s dream that the company remain independent and that it remained an employee owned company. In 1999 the employees of Miller Paint entered into an agreement to purchase the outstanding shares of stock by creating an ESOT.

The company has grown to include 35 stores and more than 250 dedicated employee owners. Our goal remains, and always will be, to provide the highest quality products available, with extraordinary customer service. We plan to remain a regional manufacturer that supports the communities in which we serve.

So if it is paint for your home, office, or if you need coatings for commercial or industrial facilities, think of Miller Paint. After all, it has been "Made in the Northwest for the Northwest, Since 1890."