Sam Miller Coach Co.
Sam Miller Coach Co.
In 1921, Sam Miller turned his small radiator repair business into Sam Miller Motors, a bona fide automobile dealership selling Hudson automobiles on Lexington Avenue in Independence, Missouri. Just 24-years old at the time, it is rumored Sam took this giant step with the encouragement of friend and neighbor, Harry S. Truman.
By the 1940’s, Sam Miller Coach Co., as it became known, relocated to Kansas City, Missouri, with downtown locations at 1520 McGee Street and 1624 Grand Avenue. In 1941, Sam opened a brand-new body shop and dealership at 5408 and 5436 Troost Avenue, respectively. Here, Sam Miller Coach was to become a thriving three-generation auto body, paint and frame repair business until closing in 2010.
After 1954, when Hudson Automobiles merged with Nash-Kelvinator to form American Motors Corporation (AMC), Sam Miller sold and serviced Oldsmobiles until the late 50s when that franchise sold, and he picked up Chrysler-Plymouth. The night the new franchise sign was installed in late 1959 or early 1960, the dealership caught fire and burned. Standing alongside the Kansas City Fire Chief at the corner of 55th and Troost, Sam Miller suffered a heart attack as he watched his dealership burn. Sam survived but was never quite the same. Soon after, his dealership sold as the body shop continued to grow.
Always the gregarious character with a cigar in his mouth, Sam Miller would ask “ Is everybody OK?” as he encouraged collision customers seeking estimates to step inside and see firsthand the quality of Sam Miller collision repair. Even with 22 employees, the demand was so great, Sam Miller opened a second location in Merriam, Kansas, employing another 10 employees. Sam Miller Coach was the first multi-shop organization (MSO) in the area.
Honorably discharged from the Air Force in 1947, Neil Miller joined his father, Sam, to run the body shop on Troost, which he took to the next level. While the dealership serviced the cars it sold, the body shop accepted all makes and models. Under Neil’s management, Sam Miller Coach became the gold standard for collision repair in Kansas City. Noteworthy customers included Barnett Helzberg, Kansas City Mayor Dr. Charles (Charlie) Wheeler, and numerous Kansas City Royals and Chiefs players.
In 1980, Neil’s son, Marc Miller, joined the business after graduating from the University of Missouri. He recalls the pride his dad instilled in running the body shop—they both wore coats and ties every day. The plan was for Neil to run the Troost location while Marc ran the Merriam Drive location. Neither could have anticipated that in 1983 Neil would unexpectedly pass away in his sleep at just 48-years of age. Marc was only 24.
Reluctantly at first, Marc carried on the legacy of his father and grandfather, having lots to work with and much to be proud of. Sam Miller Coach was the first multi-shop in Kansas City, the first to offer computerized estimates and, before unibody construction, had the first frame rack utilizing laser technology. Best of all, Sam Miller employees were loyal. Some technicians, known in the day as body men, stayed more than 40 years, as did one foreman. And two bookkeepers, combined, had more than 90 years of continuous employment.
Beyond satisfied customers and employees, Sam Miller Coach earned the respect and admiration of the collision industry. Lirel Holt—founder of CARSTAR, an Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year, past president of the Helzberg Entrepreneurial Mentoring Program, and named one of the collision industry’s 25 most influential leaders of the 20th century—personally acknowledged Marc Miller and called out Sam Miller Coach for its legacy of industry mentorship.
Looking back, it should come as no surprise that when Sam Miller passed in 1964, 1500 people attended his funeral. Faced with University of Missouri Kansas City (UMKC) expansion and resulting imminent domain, Marc Miller closed Sam Miller Coach on April 29, 2010.
Our 39-foot-long, double-tracked Sam Miller Coach neon is the original fixture built and installed during the 1941 construction of the Troost location. White neon outlines blue letters in a classic sans serif font. It represents early mid-century neon like no other sign in our collection. Elegant in its simplicity, this beauty is vintage LUMI at its best.
On loan from: University of Missouri Kansas City
In 1921, Sam Miller turned his small radiator repair business into Sam Miller Motors, a bona fide automobile dealership selling Hudson automobiles on Lexington Avenue in Independence, Missouri. Just 24-years old at the time, it is rumored Sam took this giant step with the encouragement of friend and neighbor, Harry S. Truman.
By the 1940’s, Sam Miller Coach Co., as it became known, relocated to Kansas City, Missouri, with downtown locations at 1520 McGee Street and 1624 Grand Avenue. In 1941, Sam opened a brand-new body shop and dealership at 5408 and 5436 Troost Avenue, respectively. Here, Sam Miller Coach was to become a thriving three-generation auto body, paint and frame repair business until closing in 2010.
After 1954, when Hudson Automobiles merged with Nash-Kelvinator to form American Motors Corporation (AMC), Sam Miller sold and serviced Oldsmobiles until the late 50s when that franchise sold, and he picked up Chrysler-Plymouth. The night the new franchise sign was installed in late 1959 or early 1960, the dealership caught fire and burned. Standing alongside the Kansas City Fire Chief at the corner of 55th and Troost, Sam Miller suffered a heart attack as he watched his dealership burn. Sam survived but was never quite the same. Soon after, his dealership sold as the body shop continued to grow.
Always the gregarious character with a cigar in his mouth, Sam Miller would ask “ Is everybody OK?” as he encouraged collision customers seeking estimates to step inside and see firsthand the quality of Sam Miller collision repair. Even with 22 employees, the demand was so great, Sam Miller opened a second location in Merriam, Kansas, employing another 10 employees. Sam Miller Coach was the first multi-shop organization (MSO) in the area.
Honorably discharged from the Air Force in 1947, Neil Miller joined his father, Sam, to run the body shop on Troost, which he took to the next level. While the dealership serviced the cars it sold, the body shop accepted all makes and models. Under Neil’s management, Sam Miller Coach became the gold standard for collision repair in Kansas City. Noteworthy customers included Barnett Helzberg, Kansas City Mayor Dr. Charles (Charlie) Wheeler, and numerous Kansas City Royals and Chiefs players.
In 1980, Neil’s son, Marc Miller, joined the business after graduating from the University of Missouri. He recalls the pride his dad instilled in running the body shop—they both wore coats and ties every day. The plan was for Neil to run the Troost location while Marc ran the Merriam Drive location. Neither could have anticipated that in 1983 Neil would unexpectedly pass away in his sleep at just 48-years of age. Marc was only 24.
Reluctantly at first, Marc carried on the legacy of his father and grandfather, having lots to work with and much to be proud of. Sam Miller Coach was the first multi-shop in Kansas City, the first to offer computerized estimates and, before unibody construction, had the first frame rack utilizing laser technology. Best of all, Sam Miller employees were loyal. Some technicians, known in the day as body men, stayed more than 40 years, as did one foreman. And two bookkeepers, combined, had more than 90 years of continuous employment.
Beyond satisfied customers and employees, Sam Miller Coach earned the respect and admiration of the collision industry. Lirel Holt—founder of CARSTAR, an Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year, past president of the Helzberg Entrepreneurial Mentoring Program, and named one of the collision industry’s 25 most influential leaders of the 20th century—personally acknowledged Marc Miller and called out Sam Miller Coach for its legacy of industry mentorship.
Looking back, it should come as no surprise that when Sam Miller passed in 1964, 1500 people attended his funeral. Faced with University of Missouri Kansas City (UMKC) expansion and resulting imminent domain, Marc Miller closed Sam Miller Coach on April 29, 2010.
Our 39-foot-long, double-tracked Sam Miller Coach neon is the original fixture built and installed during the 1941 construction of the Troost location. White neon outlines blue letters in a classic sans serif font. It represents early mid-century neon like no other sign in our collection. Elegant in its simplicity, this beauty is vintage LUMI at its best.
On loan from: University of Missouri Kansas City