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Norm Miller, Interstate Batteries

Guest post by: Linda Burson

Article Overview: Mazon Associates, Inc. featured Norm Miller of Interstate Batteries in its November 2009 issue of Building Bridges.

Norm Miller, Interstate Batteries

If you owned or managed an automobile repair shop or used car dealership in the Dallas/Fort Worth area as early as the spring of 1950, chances are you did business with John Searcy, a young man who sold and delivered car batteries from the back of his red Studebaker pickup truck. Mr. Searcy based his small business on high principles of offering the best quality product, providing impeccable service and treating his customers with respect. He named his company Interstate Battery System.

Meanwhile, Norm Miller was growing up in Galveston, Texas and spent a lot of time helping out in his father's Gulf service station and garage. Since a child, he had always been known for his unending supply of creative energy and his willingness to dream up and try new ideas. After completing college, Norm married and the couple moved to Memphis, Tennessee to work alongside his brothers at his father's new Interstate Batteries distributorship.

In the early 1960's, Norm and his wife moved to Dallas, Texas where he started work as a traveling salesman for Interstate Batteries' national office. John Searcy saw potential in Norm and mentored him up through the ranks. When John Searcy decided to retire in 1978 to spend more time with his family and enjoy the fruits of his labor, he left the leadership of Interstate Battery System of America, Inc. (IBSA) in the very capable hands of his president and CEO (and friend), Norm Miller. Under Norm's leadership, IBSA'S family of dealers has expanded to more than 200,000 across North America. By 1987, IBSA had distributorships in every one of the 50 states and in Canada. (Today you can even find distributors in Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Colombia and Panama.)

In 1982, Norm Miller co-founded IBSA's first venture, the Great American Race (aka, Great Race), an annual premier vintage car event held for over 20 years, which took owners and their vintage vehicles on a 4,000-mile, 14-day, cross-country race. This event opened the door to numerous other marketing opportunities for IBSA such as producing national TV commercials in order to be seen in prime-time and getting into the fishing world by sponsoring champion fishermen Guido and Dion Hibdon.

In 1990, Norm's brother, Tommy Miller, became IBSA's president and CEO, while Norm remained Chairman of the Board. This same year, the company's presence took off in a new area: NASCAR - now America's fastest-growing professional sport. 1990 also marked another milestone for IBSA by surpassing Sears to become the #1 automotive replacement battery brand sold in North America. In 1992 IBSA became sponsors of the NASCAR Winston Cup team led by Washington Redskins Coach, Joe Gibbs. In 1997, Interstate Batteries 500 was IBSA's first race sponsorship and NASCAR's first appearance at famed Texas Motor Speedway. In 2000 the team won the coveted Winston Cup Championship.

Today, IBSA remains a $1 billion privately held company that markets automotive batteries manufactured by Johnson Controls, selling mainly to car dealerships and repair shops. It also manages marine/RV, motorcycle, lawn and garden, and other lines of batteries in the starting, lighting and ignition markets. IBSA's PowerCare division supports the major industrial markets of critical and motive powers, services which include engineering, installation, testing, UPS, telecommunications and switchgear applications. They also supply safety equipment and help clients evaluate and meet UPC, OSHA, COT and EPA regulations. IBSA's Interstate All Battery Centers offer batteries for cell phones, cordless phones, watches, tools, laptops, cameras, camcorders, toys, remotes and more. IBSA's philosophy, "To treat others as we want to be treated; treating all our business associates with respect, fairness, and integrity; caring for and listening to them; professionally serving them; always being a model of working hard and striving toward excellence," has helped to grow IBSA to a nationwide distributorship base of nearly 300. Consumers can purchase products at more than 200,000 dealer locations and 156 All Battery Center stores. IBSA has over 1,415 employees nationwide, and annual sales in excess of $1.5 billion. About 80 percent of the company's distributorships are owned by independent distributors; the other 20 percent are owned by the company. IBSA is a Christian company and proudly maintains evangelical Christian values within its spiritual core, and conducts business in a way pleasing to God, which is expressed in their Mission Statement.

In May 2004, after serving as one of two IBSA executive vice presidents and a 14-year IBSA veteran, Carlos Sepulveda became IBSA's new president and CEO.

Norm Miller, known for his strong Christian business principles, often speaks to interested organizations around the country. He is also a board member for Dallas Theological Seminary, Dallas Seminary Foundation, and the Overseas Council. He and his wife, Anne, have two children (Tracey and Scott) and five grandchildren.

John Searcy passed away on June 2, 2007, leaving behind the legacy of not only an outstanding battery company, but more importantly, a history of compassion and honesty. John built a wonderful foundation for Interstate Batteries. He did his best to do the right thing in the business world and throughout his life.

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Article Tags: building bridges, carlos sepulveda, entrepreneur, great american race, ibsa, interstate batteries, john search, mazon, norm miller, tommy miller



Related Forum Posts
Re: Charging Batteries from Our Own Energy - Dear Michelle I have seen similar devices too. One was a backpack with a vertical spring generator. A soldier would charge the battery while walking. My friend wore a self winding watch on a motorcycle trip. It over wound itself and broke. Batteries will continue to get smaller, stronger, and less expensive. The manufacturing process is very dirty. That is why the "green" hybrid car batteries have the cadmium ore refined in Romania. The process is so dirty the Canadians won't do it. I believe technology will solve these problems and our future will be cleaner, greener, and more prosperous.


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