* Location: 8503 Hilltop Drive, Ooltewah
* Online: millerind.com
* History: In 1916, Chattanooga inventor and business owner Ernest Holmes Sr. created the first towing and recovery vehicle in his garage on Market Street. He later established the Ernest Holmes Company, the world’s first manufacturer of towing and recovery equipment, which would sell their products throughout the world and supply equipment to the U.S. government during both World Wars. In 1974, Holmes’ grandson Jerry Holmes started Century Wrecker Corporation, which would be the first to incorporate hydraulics with tow trucks. Both Century Wrecker and Holmes Company were acquired when William G. Miller formed Miller Industries in 1990. After several other acquisitions, Miller Industries became the world leader in towing and recovery equipment. The former Century Wrecker Corporation facility in Ooltewah now serves as the corporate headquarters for Miller Industries, and primary manufacturing facility for heavy-duty and light-duty towing and recovery equipment. Miller Industries also has manufacturing facilities in Greeneville, Tennessee; Hermitage, Pennsylvania; Thetford, England; and Revigny-sur-Ornain, France. Across all three domestic plants, Miller Industries employees approximately 1,100 people. Around 700 are employed at the Ooltewah location.
* Products: Along with the Century and Holmes brands, Miller Industries manufactures Vulcan and Chevron towing and recovery equipment at all three domestic facilities. At the facility in Ooltewah, Miller Industries manufacturers light-duty equipment with towing capacities from 7,500 pounds to heavy-duty rotator recovery vehicles capable of lifting over 100 tons. In October 2019, Miller Industries debuted the world’s largest towing and recovery vehicle, the Century M100, which can lift 100 tons.
* Service: Miller Industries works to raise awareness of the dangers of the towing and recovery profession. Every six days a towing and recovery operator is killed while working an incident. Miller Industries encourages everyone to always slow down and move over for, not just towers, but all emergency vehicles on the side of the highway.