Mark Miller, the owner/operator of Miller Mats, a dust-control launderer in Pittsburgh, founded his company after stints with two industrial chains. His dream was to establish an independent laundry. Thirty years later, he’s still at it. Miller’s client base includes hospitals, sports stadiums and even a supplier to nuclear power plants.
“My dad always encouraged me to go out on my own,” Miller said in a forthcoming article in Textile Services magazine titled, “Miller Mats: ‘A Business Built on Trust.’” Miller’s chance came in 1996 when he left a seven-year post at Aramark (renamed Vestis in 2023) to launch Miller Mats in Pittsburgh. Since the early ’80s, he’d worked in progressively responsible jobs at Coyne Textile Services (CTS) and as a district manager for Aramark in Cleveland. Next, he transferred to a newly established Aramark operation in Pittsburgh. “I came here and opened up a little office,” he said. “For four years, I did it here; we put on 11 routes.”
Fast-forward to 2026, and Miller Mats is an established niche launderer, specializing in renting and processing floor mats for businesses and institutions throughout the area. An entry on Miller’s LinkedIn page sums up his outlook: “We don’t care about being the biggest,” he said. “Our only goal is to be the best. The Miller Mats team produces commercial floor mat service that meets three goals for our clients: safety, maintenance and image.”
Miller overcame challenges on his way to success. In the article, slated for April’s edition, he describes recurring disappointments. He was expelled from a high school in York, PA, for various infractions. He was fired from a newspaper-reporting job when he refused to divulge confidential information related to a sexual harassment case involving one of the first female cadets at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, NY.
In need of an income to support his family, Miller started at CTS as a “route jumper.” He filled in for drivers out on sick leave or vacation. After moving to sales, he almost got fired for failing to meet his sales quota. But with a wife and child depending on him, he knuckled down and avoided losing his job right before Thanksgiving. From there, Miller moved up the ladder at CTS and later at Aramark before founding Miller Mats.
With his school history and work disappointments, Miller understands the challenges facing his 11 employees, including several long-tenured staffers. Some did jail time before joining the company. Miller encourages all staff and prospects to view Miller Mats as a place to make a new start. “They basically have found a home here, and that performance in this job is what counts,” he said. “And what you did in the past, I don’t care.”
He trains staff not to stress themselves physically when handling mats at the plant or loading/unloading goods on the route. In 30 years, Miller Mats has never had a workers’ compensation claim. While small, the 11,000-square-foot (1,021-square-meter) plant includes an area where staff members customize mats for special orders, such as one that was designed to fit around a revolving door. Miller also offers his customers a wide range of mat choices. Most competitors carry 15-20 SKUs (stockkeeping units), he said, noting that “We have about 140.” Examples include 3-by-2, 3-by-3, 3-by-9, 3-by-15 and others.
The company’s diverse mat lineup – coupled with reliable service – has helped Miller Mats win exemptions from national contracts for mat rentals, as well as rental and direct sales of mats to independent businesses. The company eschews contracts of any kind. All business is done on a “handshake” basis, Miller said.
Now 72, Miller is looking to hire an operations manager who can learn the Miller Mats system and, perhaps one day, succeed him. The challenges of rising costs – including burgeoning expenses for employee healthcare insurance – pose new hurdles for the company. But Miller isn’t interested in selling. “We’re at the point where the expense of the new equipment, a new building, that could be the end. … If I decided it was going to be the end. For a lot of guys, it would be. But I see this as a valuable institution, and I want to keep our company going.”
Click here for a sneak peek at the full article. For more stories on an array of industry issues, click here to subscribe to Textile Services.
Sign Up For Our Newsletter
Receive the latest updates on the linen, uniform and facility services industry from TRSA delivered straight to your inbox.
