VanAire's Eric Miller Announces Retirement

VanAire announced the retirement of Eric Miller, co-owner and vice president of manufacturing. Miller played a central role in shaping VanAire’s manufacturing culture, operational excellence and global reputation during his 29-year tenure. He helped grow the company from 9 to 84 employees, 50 of whom were his direct or indirect reports, and led multiple plant expansions, new product developments, and significant equipment upgrades.

Source: VanAire

“Eric has been a foundational leader at VanAire,” said Steve Soderman, CEO of VanAire. “His steady leadership, deep operational knowledge, and commitment to doing things the right way helped build the manufacturing backbone of our company. The systems, standards, and culture he helped establish will continue to serve VanAire well into the future.”

He was a strong steward of VanAire’s Employee Covenant, championing a workplace rooted in fairness, safety, respect and accountability and was deeply committed to the community and workforce development. He worked closely with local ISD and Career & Technical Education (CTE) vocational programs, helping create pathways for high school students to explore careers in skilled trades and manufacturing. Through mentorship, collaboration, and advocacy, Eric played a meaningful role in developing future talent — strengthening both VanAire and the broader regional workforce.