February 15, 2012 - Posted by Don Kirkman — 

Anyone who has had the privilege of working in economic development in the State of Florida during the last three decades probably knows Roger Miller.  He has worked every corner of the state, and he is regarded as one of the most knowledgeable experts on economic development in Florida. His expertise with Florida’s incentives has been a godsend for many local (and regional!) economic developers working to close deals in the state.
 
Roger has announced his retirement after 28 years of selfless service to the state and Northwest Florida region.  His last day with Florida’s Great Northwest will be Friday, March 9^th.  He and his wife, Donna, plan to spend more time in their western North Carolina second home, which ironically is the state from which I moved when I joined Florida’s Great Northwest in January 2011.
 
During my first several months on the job, I traveled a great deal within Northwest Florida, trying to learn as much as possible about the 16-county region that Florida’s Great Northwest represents.  Without exception, as I met with local economic developers and other community leaders, I found a universal respect, bordering on reverence, for Roger.  “Professional,” “dedicated,” “highest integrity,” and “great guy” were among the terms used to describe Roger.  And our colleagues at FGNW described him in the same manner.
 
Roger joined the Florida Department of Commerce in February 1984; he served in various positions in the Bureau of Industry Development and was Supervisor for National Marketing from 1988 to 1994.  He joined Enterprise Florida, the public-private successor organization, in 1996 as Director for North American Recruitment in the Expansion, Retention and Recruitment group.  He joined Florida’s Great Northwest in 2007 after his “first” retirement from Enterprise Florida.
 
In addition to his service to Florida’s Great Northwest, Roger is a member of the boards of directors of Opportunity Florida and the Economic Development Council of Tallahassee/Leon County.  In recognition of his service to the Florida economic development community, he was awarded the Eunice Sullivan Economic Development Professional of the Year award in 2007 by the Florida Economic Development Council.
 
In summary, Roger is the consummate economic developer—professional, knowledgeable, likable, and highly respected by all who know him.  Perhaps most importantly, he has a passion to help—to help the state and region he calls home, but also the people whose lives are positively impacted by employment in the many companies that Roger helped recruit to Florida during his distinguished economic development career.
 
We will miss Roger’s dedicated service to Florida’s Great Northwest and our region, but we wish Roger, Donna and their family all the best in retirement.  They deserve it.
 
Don Kirkman, President