INTERVIEW | RYAN MILLER


PWI supplies everything from 500lbs to 50-tonne cranes, and all are built on its own premises.


circumstances through innovation, and that has been a key strand of its success story. For example, in 2020 there was a slight dip in the local RV economy, so PWI was able to shift its focus to become a national supplier of overhead cranes, mezzanines and fall protection. Those became the big three areas for which the company was known, thanks in part to a strong marketing campaign to help the business focus on what it does best. At the same time, a national sales department was established to further the company’s growth outside of its home region. That vision culminated in its 2025 rebranding


exercise, which gives the company a new identity to accurately reflect what it has become over the years and where it intends to go in the future. Focused on the key themes of innovation, relentless grit and a strong company culture, the new branding aims to bridge the traditional values its founder held dear, while aligning it with change, growth and purpose.


“Innovation, passion and grit – those values suit our family and our team really well,” Miller explains. “We are welders and manufacturers at heart, but we are focused on helping other manufacturers to fulfil their projects.”


Lessons in leadership Having been involved in the business from such an early age, Miller had the values of the company – the same values that shaped his family – in his blood. In that sense, continuing his father’s legacy was simple. Less straightforward, however, was


34 Winter 2025 | ochmagazine.com


navigating the responsibilities that come with making strategic and operational decisions that shape the lives of a growing team of employees and, by extension, the community from which the company had emerged and in which it continues to play a prominent role. In taking on the role of president, Miller called upon his belief in a higher power to seek guidance. He describes himself as a husband, a father, a visionary leader and a follower of Christ, and all those roles intertwined as he seeks to make his mark on the world.


“When it comes to setting a vision for the company, our faith is very important,” he says. “We serve Jesus Christ and that is a big deal. It gives us the ability to change our community, and we have an aggressive giving goal. We are always giving back to the community, and that accounts for half of the vision that we have set out. The other half is about building the culture here.” The company currently has more than


180 team members, and Miller’s goal is to help each one become better at what they do and be valuable members of society. “We all are focused on becoming better welders, but also better fathers and husbands and people,” he says. “We are influencing the family trees of the people who work here, so the basis of my vision is culture. Customers feel that and they experience the culture of the company when they work with us.


“I understand that not everyone here shares my faith, and that is okay, but it is all about integrity and honesty – that is who we are.” On a more granular level, the company’s vision


is to make a big push as a manufacturer to reach out to and serve its manufacturing customers across the US. It provides everything from 500lb to 50-tonne cranes, and all are built on its own premises – it does not buy and resell materials handling systems.


“Our business model, which we pursue Ryan Miller, president and CEO.


aggressively, is to have our own sales representatives serving our customers directly,” Miller explains. “We are a manufacturer that


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