Todd Miller: From Route Sales to VP for Largest Coca-Cola Bottler

How did you discover Anderson? 

At the time, Anderson was a two-year school, and I attended from 1986 through 1988. 

Baseball was a big part of my life in high school, and like a lot of young athletes, I had a dream of seeing how far the game could take me. What drew me to Anderson was the chance to keep chasing that dream while also continuing my education. Coach Bobby Beville and Coach Tim Medlin recruited me, along with a few of my high school teammates, and that meant a lot. It gave me the opportunity to be part of a team, compete at the next level and grow as a student. Looking back, Anderson was exactly where I needed to be—it gave me a foundation, a sense of purpose and people who believed in me at an important time in my life. 

Where did you go to high school?  

I grew up in Columbia, South Carolina, and went to Irmo High School.  

What are some favorite memories from college?  

When I think back on my time at Anderson, what stands out most are the friendships, the teammates and the feeling of belonging to a campus community. The smaller-school environment was exactly what I needed. It helped me find my focus, especially academically, and gave me the chance to build real relationships with professors who knew me and cared about my growth. If I was struggling in a class or needed guidance, they were accessible and willing to help. That kind of support made a real difference. 

Those years were really a turning point for me. I was growing from a young man into a young adult, and Anderson helped shape that process. Whether it was lessons learned on the baseball field or in the classroom, I was learning discipline, responsibility, structure and the importance of staying grounded. Being on time, following through and understanding the “why” behind what I was doing all helped prepare me for the person and leader I would become. Looking back, those everyday lessons were building something much bigger in me than I realized at the time. 

Have you been back on campus lately?  

Professor Richard Ray had me back on campus last spring to speak with a group of students in the College of Business and Economics, and it was a really meaningful experience. It’s amazing to see how much Anderson has changed, but at the same time, that feeling you get when you step on campus is still there. For me, being back also gave me the opportunity to pay it forward. So many people poured into me when I was a student—coaches, professors, mentors and teammates—and they helped keep me on the right track at an important time in my life. Now, when I have the chance to spend time with students, I want to share the lessons I’ve learned over my career and encourage them to stay curious, keep learning and remain open to where their journey may lead. I truly believe learning never stops. Every season of life and every role can teach you something if you’re willing to listen, ask questions and keep growing.  

After finishing two years at Anderson, where did you go from there?  

After I earned my associate degree, I had the opportunity to continue playing baseball at Mount Olive College in Eastern North Carolina, where I played my final two years and earned my bachelor’s degree. Mount Olive had a close community with people who cared about you beyond the game. Coach Carl Lancaster was instrumental in making an impact on my life, just as my coaches at Anderson had been. He was instrumental in not only being a great role model but giving advice that stayed with me: “Baseball is a great part of your journey, but life after baseball will come. Finish what you started, because earning your degree will prepare you for the future.” You should chase your dreams with everything you have, but education gives you the foundation for whatever comes next. Looking back, those coaches helped me understand that success is not just about how far the game takes you—it’s about becoming prepared for the life and opportunities that come after it. 

Those who make the majors are a tiny minority of all baseball players, right?  

Every college athlete should chase the dream of playing professionally with everything they have. That dream is powerful, and the game can open doors you may never have imagined. But at the same time, you have to understand that your education is just as important. Baseball gave me the opportunity to go to school, and school gave me the foundation to build a career and a life beyond the game. Very few players make it to the professional level, so the challenge is to give your best on the field while also finishing what you started in the classroom. Your sport may create the opportunity, but your education helps prepare you for the future. 

What happened after college? 

After college, I moved back to Columbia. My degree was in therapeutic recreation and coaching, and I had the opportunity to coach baseball for one season at Irmo High School. Since I graduated in December, that spring gave me a chance to stay connected to the game while I began thinking seriously about my future. I was interviewing for roles both in my field and with Coca-Cola, and in June of 1991, I accepted an opportunity with Coca-Cola Consolidated. I’ve been here ever since. 

I often tell people that I drove a Volkswagen Rabbit into the parking lot that first morning and drove a route truck out of the gate to start my career as route salesman. That was the beginning of an incredible journey—one I never could have fully imagined at the time. What started as a front-line opportunity became a career filled with growth, learning and purpose. 

I started at the front line of the organization and worked my way through sales, operations, and leadership roles. Along the way, I had the privilege of leading teammates, running sales & distribution centers, general management and regional leadership responsibilities. Each step taught me something different about people, the business, and the kind of leader I wanted to become. 

About 20 years into my career, when my wife and I were raising three kids, I reached a point where I started asking myself what I wanted the next chapter to look like. I had spent two decades with the same company, and I began to think more deeply about purpose, growth and where I could make the greatest impact. Looking back, that season became an important turning point—one that opened the door for me to use the lessons I had learned to help develop and invest in others. 

That season of my career taught me that growth is not just about expanding the business—it is about investing in the people who make that growth possible. 

Around that same time, Coca-Cola Consolidated was entering a major growth season. Through refranchising of the US Coca Cola bottling system, we grew from about 5,300 teammates to nearly 17,000 across 14 states and Washington, D.C. That kind of growth required us to think differently about how we operated, supported, developed and connected our people to our customers, consumers and communities. 

That opened the door for me to step out of sales and operations and help shape the future teammate experience. My leader saw my passion for teaching, learning and developing people, and I was given the opportunity to build and lead our learning and development team. That work eventually became part of a broader HR strategy, bringing learning and development, talent management and talent acquisition together. Looking back, it was a natural next step—using my business experience to help grow people, strengthen our culture and prepare the organization for the future. 

It has been an incredible journey. What inspires me most is the opportunity to shape the teammate experience—from the moment someone first considers joining Coca-Cola Consolidated to the time they retire. That full journey matters, and I want people to feel supported, developed and valued along the way. 

Coaching, teaching, training, recruiting and workforce development—that is what energizes me. I believe one of my gifts is helping people see what they are capable of and then creating opportunities for them to grow into their full potential. 

A lot of that goes back to the baseball field. As a player, teammate and captain, I was learning leadership before I fully understood it—how to bring people together, how to encourage others and how to be part of something bigger than yourself. Early in life, you do not always realize how those experiences are shaping you. But later, you can look back and see that every relationship, every responsibility and every challenge was preparing you for the work you were meant to do. 

Did you envision yourself doing this kind of work earlier in life? 

Looking back, there was always a people-development side to my career, even before I officially moved into HR. My business background helped me understand the realities our leaders and teammates face every day, and that credibility matters when you are supporting an organization of 17,000 people. For me, HR is not separate from the business—it is deeply connected to it. It gives me the chance to pay forward what others invested in me by helping teammates grow, lead and see what they are capable of becoming. 

What's the best piece of advice you would give to somebody who wants to work towards a leadership role at a business or an organization? 

The best advice I would give is to stay curious, keep learning and never forget that leadership is about serving others. Your education gives you a strong foundation, but when you step into leadership, your focus has to shift from yourself to the people you are leading. You have to understand your team—how they work, what motivates them and how you can help them succeed. The best leaders are selfless. They put the team first, celebrate wins together and create an environment where people feel valued and empowered. 

Servant leadership cannot just be something you say—it has to be something you live. It shows up in how you listen, how you make decisions, how you give others a voice and how you help people grow. In today’s workforce, we have multiple generations working side by side, and each one brings different experiences, ideas and strengths. A great leader is humble enough to know they do not have all the answers and wise enough to learn from the people around them. 

Leadership is also about empowering people to be part of the solution, not simply telling them what to do. At the same time, there are moments when you have to make tough decisions, speak with clarity and lead with confidence. That confidence comes from experience, from listening to others and from staying grounded in your values. If you lead with curiosity, humility and a genuine desire to serve, you will not only help the organization succeed—you will help people become better because they were on your team. 

Describe Coca-Cola Consolidated. 

Coca-Cola Consolidated is the largest Coca-Cola bottler in the United States. We make, sell and distribute beverages of The Coca-Cola Company, and other partner companies, in nearly 300 brands and flavors across 14 states and the District of Columbia, to approximately 60 million consumers.  But what makes the company special is not just our size or the brands we represent—it is our purpose: to Honor God in all we do, Pursue Excellence, Grow Profitably and Serve Others. That purpose guides how we lead, how we serve our customers, communities and consumers, and how we support our teammates every day. Through our Employee Value Promise—Be Supported, Be Inspired, Be Developed, Be Connected, Be Empowered and Be Rewarded—we are committed to creating a teammate experience where people can grow, contribute and thrive. 

When you're not busy with Coca-Cola Consolidated, what do you enjoy doing? 

Family is at the heart of who I am. My wife and I have three adult daughters—two recently married, and our youngest is a nurse in Charleston—and seeing the women they have become is one of the greatest blessings of my life. We love simple time together, especially at the beach, and we enjoy traveling whenever we can. I also try to stay active through fitness and taking care of my health. Outside of family, we enjoy time with friends, and I’ve stayed connected with several of my former teammates. At this stage of life, I’ve learned that the most meaningful moments are often the simplest ones—time together, shared memories and being present with the people you love. Our family values are rooted in faith, love, hard work and showing up for one another. 

How did you meet your wife? 

That story is one of my favorites. The weekend before I started at Coca-Cola, a friend who helped me get the job invited me to spend a day on the lake. That day turned out to be a blessing because I met my wife through a mutual friend. She was a junior at the University of South Carolina. Soon after, we started dating, and we were married on October 22, 1994. Looking back, I am grateful for how one invitation and one introduction changed my life in such a wonderful way. 

Why choose to come to Anderson over another college? 

I recently had the opportunity to speak with our interns at the beginning and end of their experience, and one of the things I shared with them is that every season of life gives you an opportunity to grow. When you are choosing a college, you have to find the place where you can feel connected, supported and part of a community. Only you know what you need as a student. Sometimes the world tells you to choose the biggest campus or follow where everyone else is going, but the most important thing is finding a place where you can stand firm where your feet are planted, stay curious and take full advantage of the opportunity in front of you. 

Anderson offered that for me. It provided a strong education, a sense of community and opportunities to be involved beyond the classroom. The campus experience matters, but what matters even more is what you do with it—what you learn, how you grow and how you carry those lessons into the next chapter of life. 

The core principles and faith component of Anderson made a lasting impact on me. Over time, I learned that education is about more than earning a degree—it is about shaping your character, strengthening your values and preparing you to make a difference in the lives of others. People may not remember every class you took, but they will remember who you became, how you treated people and how you carried those values into your work and your life. 

For me, college and baseball worked together to shape who I was becoming. Education gave me the foundation, and the game taught me discipline, accountability, resilience and the power of being part of a team. Those lessons prepared me for life far beyond the classroom and the field. Looking back, what means the most is knowing that the right people believed in me, challenged me and helped me grow at a time when I needed it most.