Milliron Auto Parts celebrated its 70th anniversary Monday at the Richland Area Chamber of Commerce Economic Development with a packed house of people stopping by for a noon ribbon cutting at its popular 2375 Ohio 39 business.
Jim McKinney, owner of Milliron Auto Parts, may not be related to the late Grant Milliron or Grant's son Carl Milliron, but he entered the auto parts business 26 years ago. He said he has worked for both of the new players and will continue to think of them as family. .
“In 1997, Karl hired me to disassemble cars at Milliron Auto Parts, and now I am the owner. I dropped out of high school a while ago, saying, “I'm not going to college. I'm living proof that if you work hard, stay focused on your goals, and surround yourself with good people, you can achieve what you want.'' He posted on the company's Facebook page on January 1st.
The Greater Cleveland Auto Show opens Friday with hundreds of vehicles on display.
“I would like to thank Carl and Jill Milliron. Carl and I have been and will continue to be partners in other businesses, and more importantly, we are the type of family I would like to call family. A friend,” he said. “Milliron Auto Parts has been a fixture in the community for as long as I can remember, and I will do my best to maintain the same values and commitment to our customers, employees, and community.”
Mr. McKinney told the media that when Mr. Grant suddenly passed away at the age of 87 on July 26, 2023, he acquired 50% of the business approximately three years ago, and over the next five years he acquired 100% ownership of the company. He said he had plans to acquire it.
“So we accelerated the term and bought the rest on January 1st,” he said.
The business takes used cars, removes the good parts that can be sold and reused as cars, and recycles the rest. It’s good for the environment and we do it in a very clean way,” McKinney said.
McKinney said Carl Milliron is like a “big brother.”
He said Karl took him under his wing and got him to where he is today.
The company has 24 employees. Her wife, Tammy, oversees the office and books. McKinney said his daughter Tiffany is in human resources and one of his two sons, Mitchell, works as a salesman for the company.
Our company began 70 years ago on February 19, 1954.
In 1954, Grant and his father decided to start a salvage yard business with a business plan written on a piece of paper and $1,000. From there, his business grew and multiplied. He said his success was due to the sovereign hand of God who helped him connect with the right people at the right time, especially the loving support of his wife. , Mary. Milliron Industries has become one of the world's leading innovative scrap companies. He worked until the age of 87 and cared deeply for his employees,” Grant's obituary said.
McKinney said the auto parts business started when Grant Milliron acquired several vehicles and sold parts for them. “As it grew, Grant built landfills and garbage disposals, and then turned into the trucking industry for Carl, servicing the industry. Carl and I are very involved in the industry, and now 'And now I'm the CEO of a global software company that's part of this industry and a lot of other things,' he said. “But all these businesses were born out of a few cars here 70 years ago (Monday),” he added.
He said that in addition to customers coming to the store to buy auto parts from the counter, they can also get the parts themselves, which is much cheaper.
Richland County Commissioner Tony Bello said the Milliron name and Milliron businesses are synonymous with Shelby and “we wish them all the best for the next 70 years.”
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