Brian Miller, one of the firm’s founders, has decided to retire, and his partner, Bill White, has decided not to continue the business.
Closing the marketing firm is bittersweet, Miller said. “It’s certainly been a great 35 years of serving our clients.”
In addition to the two co-owners, the company most recently had seven full-time employees and one part-time.
Miller, who will be 66 in November, says he's ready to "slow down a little" and has been "trying to work through an exit strategy" for the past few years.
"We made a final decision Monday," he said. "We've been looking at it closely" and White was considering whether he wanted to continue on his own. "He decided he didn't, and we felt it was best just to go ahead and do it and get it done," Miller said.
White explained, “I’ve been doing this for 25 years, and these days, that’s a long time. MillerWhite is basically the only place I’ve ever worked. It’s been a great partnership, but with Brian’s departure, and with nine or 10 years before I’ll want to retire, I feel like I want to try something new.”
Miller said he feels blessed to have been able to spend his entire working career "in the area I love, doing work that I loved. We want to thank all our staff, clients and suppliers for their part in helping us achieve a level of excellence that was beyond our expectation when we began" more than three decades ago.
Founded as Graphic Edition in May 1980 with four other shareholders, the firm expanded to become a full-service advertising agency in 1982. White, who had been a graphic designer with the firm since 1988, became a shareholder in 1992, then partner in 1995, when the company became Miller & White. He expanded the business into the Indianapolis market in 1998. It has been MillerWhite, LLC, a.k.a. MillerWhite Marketing, since 2002.