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When he left his job at a large pharmaceutical company in his early twenties for the chance to start his own engineering company, Tom Miller never looked back. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m an entrepreneur at heart,&rdquo; he said. Miller&rsquo;s career followed the small business route to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where he joined electrical engineering company ESCO Group. As Miller rose through the ranks at the company to eventually become a partner at the firm, he never lost his passion for advancing small businesses. It&rsquo;s no wonder that after being exposed to the Office Evolution experience, Miller was quick to introduce the shared office space franchise to his Cedar Rapids community.

&ldquo;When I started with the ESCO Group in 2001, there were only 12 engineers on staff,&rdquo; Miller said. &ldquo;I quickly realized the company had potential. I ended up serving as director of operations and business development, helping to grow the company from a 15-employee firm to a 45-employee firm in three years,&rdquo; Miller noted.

As a part of that growth, Miller was expanding the company&rsquo;s reach and placing a group of engineers in Colorado when he first encountered <a href="http://www.officeevolutionfranchise.com/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=how-tom-millers-passion-for-the-small-business-community-led-him-to-office-evolutions-franchise-opportunity-2708425" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Office Evolution</a>. &ldquo;I was looking for space for the business to reside and my research led me to Office Evolution,&rdquo; Miller said. &ldquo;Their model negated the necessity of brick-and-mortar to expand, which gave us an easy way to grow.&rdquo;

In his continued dealings with <a href="https://1851franchise.com/officeevolution" target="_blank">Office Evolution</a>, Miller became more and more impressed by the company&#39;s culture. &ldquo;Our company places a strong emphasis on culture and employee environment,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;As soon as I walked into Office Evolution, the Business Center Manager was there greeting me. I probably visited eight different locations in Colorado and experienced the same positivity at each. Their focus on culture and small business development really stood out.&rdquo;

Upon his return to Cedar Rapids, Miller started talking to community members and quickly discovered small businesses needed a place to operate. It was then, he said, &ldquo;The light bulb went off.&rdquo; Calling upon his entrepreneurial spirit, business acumen and drive to be a small business advocate, Miller opened his Cedar Rapids, Iowa Office Evolution location in April 2018, with his wife Melissa, a former schoolteacher, as his Business Center Manager.

&ldquo;Tom was an excellent franchise candidate for Office Evolution because of his passion for growing and supporting the small business community,&rdquo; Office Evolution founder and CEO Mark Hemmeter said. &ldquo;Our shared commitment to culture made it a great fit. Coupled with the fact Tom was motivated by the opportunity to open the first business center in the state, he and Melissa brought our business to a market that would really benefit from our services.&rdquo;

For Miller, Office Evolution&rsquo;s most unique characteristic is its ability to serve a clientele that other shared office space concepts neglect. &ldquo;A lot of coworking space across the country is focused on startups and entrepreneurs that are just beginning business operations,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Office Evolution fills the gap between brick-and-mortar and coworking space. The offering focuses on middle ground, small businesses that are established and want to be seen at that next level of professionalism.&rdquo;

As for his favorite aspect of owning his own franchise, Miller called back to his passion for supporting other small business owners. &ldquo;Meeting new people and finding out about new businesses is the best part of the Office Evolution experience,&rdquo; Miller said. &ldquo;I love hearing about how people got started and their background; and working with the corporate team has been really positive. Fueling idea generation through strong culture is another great part of the equation,&rdquo; he said.&nbsp;

How Tom Miller’s Passion for the Small Business Community Led Him To Office Evolution’s Franchise Opportunity

1851 Franchise

After setting up a remote engineering team at an Office Evolution location in Colorado, Miller’s eye for culture drew him to the franchise side of the brand. 

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