It was spring semester 1977. Gary Miller was graduating on May 30 and getting married July 2, and he needed a job. He accepted an entry-level position in architecture sales with the New England Lead Burning Company (now NELCO), and started work on June 1. Fast-forward 40 years, and 
Miller is co-owner of the business.
“A lot of people questioned my choice to work for a small company,” he recalls. “My answer was that it provides more opportunity to get noticed faster when you perform, and to climb the ladder more quickly.”
At the time, most of the business focused on petrochemical and chemical plants putting lead linings in vessels and tanks. In the mid-’80s, it shifted completely to radiation shielding in the medical field. NELCO produces and installs radiation shielding and radio frequency shielding in imaging centers for hospitals and cancer treatment centers.
“We use a number of materials and technology to create a barrier to protect staff members outside of the diagnostic imaging room,” Miller says. One cost-effective option is an eight-foot concrete wall; but that kind of real estate is not typically available in existing radiation therapy cancer care facilities.
“The challenge is to take that eight-foot wall and reduce it to something that will fit by using materials that we manufacture: polyethylene sheet, borated polyethylene sheet, lead, steel, concrete or specialty high density concrete blocks,” Miller says. He often collaborates with medical physicists and radiation physicists to review schematic design and reduce the room’s footprint. “We design a solution with all these materials that will shield using a much thinner wall.”
Miller’s career progression at NELCO—which just celebrated its 75th anniversary—correlates to the evolution and growth of the company. Early on, he served as assistant branch manager then plant manager then general manager of the New England division. When the company began installing the products it produced, Miller took posts as vice president and executive VP of projects. He became chief operating officer when the company transferred ownership to him and partner Rick LeBlanc.
What has guided Miller through all of the roles is a strong work ethic—an internal guidepost instilled by his parents.
“I grew up with a father who was paralyzed from polio and in a wheelchair since the age of 24. But he worked every day of his life and retired as a VP at American Mutual Insurance. He volunteered at the VA hospital to encourage injured veterans to get out of bed. And my mother, who emigrated from England at 18 after she got married, stood by him. It’s hard to be lazy when you aspire to this kind of commitment.”
Miller saw this same level of commitment from NELCO founders. “The founders were the culture of the employees. As much as they were good at what they did, they created a true family atmosphere where they knew everyone by name. I’ve taken on that same kind of leadership.”
–Kristen Walsh
