Marshall S. Miller

In 1976, Marshall S. Miller demonstrated his willingness to take risks by founding his own geological, geophysical, and engineering services company. Marshall Miller and Associates, Inc., headquartered in Bluefield, Virginia, now operates eleven offices in eight states. As chairman and CEO, Miller has established new fields in his industry, helped his company adapt to changing markets, and fostered its continued growth.

Miller has achieved something truly enviable: he has found a way to turn a childhood fascination with rocks into a highly successful business that gives him the means to contribute significantly to his home state.

A native of Bluefield, West Virginia, Miller studied geology at West Virginia University, earning a B.S. degree in 1965 and a Masters in 1973. After a brief time working in Illinois, he came back to the Appalachians to research the coal-field regions of Southwest Virginia for the Virginia Division of Mineral Resources. In 1974, he returned home to Bluefield as a fuels geologist for the Pocahontas Land Corporation. 

Engineering News-Record has recognized the firm as one of "The Top 500 Engineering Design Firms" in the United States since 1998. The company is now listed as the 427th largest engineering firm in the U.S., and the 14th largest of the architectural and engineering firms headquartered in Virginia. Over the last six years, the company has launched itself into markets in China, South America, India, Australia, and Canada. In 2000, Marshall Miller & Associates was recognized by the Virginia Chamber of Commerce as among the 50 Fastest Growing Companies in Virginia.

Miller is known as a pioneer in the field of geology not only in the business world, but also in academia. He has authored 25 professional publications on geological, geophysical, and engineering topics, including a book featuring geological mapping and modeling of southwest Virginia that still stands today as a landmark reference for regional mining and fossil fuel producers.

Miller's commitment to his community is obvious by his financial support and active service in such leadership roles as director and vice chairman of the Bluefield Regional Medical Center; director of the Virginia Chamber of Commerce; founding member and vice chair of the Bluefield Area Foundation; past president of the Bluefield Chamber of Commerce; and director of First Century Bank. His commitment to education is seen in his service as a board member of the Bluefield High School Foundation; advisory board member for the West Virginia University Eberly College of Arts and Sciences; board member and past chairman of the West Virginia University Foundation; and advisory board member of the Rosenbaum Family House, West Virginia University Hospitals. He also e stablished the Marshall Miller Energy professorship in the West Virginia University Geology Department.

Miller's professional and civic achievements have brought him numerous awards. He was a 2004 inductee into the West Virginia Coal Hall of Fame; received the WVU Geology Department's Distinguished Alumni Professional Achievement Award in 1995; received the 1993 Entrepreneur of the Year Award in West Virginia given by Inc. Magazine; received the Society of Mining Engineers Regional and Central Appalachian Section Distinguished Member Award in 1997 and the National Distinguished Award in 2000; served as selected panelist and advisor to the United States Geological Survey in 2002; and was selected by the National Society of Mining Engineers to serve as one of five Distinguished Lecturers for the Henry Krumb Lecture Series held in select U.S. cities in 2004 and 2005. He was the recipient of the Robert Hamilton Award for Community Service in 2004 and the Citizen of the Year Award by the Boy Scouts organization