Trey Miller, 35
Chief Operating Officer , Melon 1 Sales Corp , Punta Gorda, FL
June 10, 2025 | 3 min to read
SHORT BIO
Hometown: Branford, FL
Hobbies: Watermelons, Racing, Golf
Family/Community: Married, 3 children, Orchard Community Church
Motto in life: Don’t be busy, be productive.
Miller comes from a produce family, and grew up in produce. His father, Doug Miller, was a watermelon farmer, and his mother’s side (Chastain family) has been growing produce for seven generations in Florida and South Georgia. In 2007, Miller started at Melon 1 as a warehouse employee. During his time in the warehouse, he drove a forklift, helped fix equipment, and learned about the hard work needed to bring a watermelon to local grocery stores.
In late 2008, he moved to a logistics position that involved booking freight, order processing, and inventory management. During that time, the growing company was able to take on interns who Miller trained in logistics, resulting in some becoming full-time employees.
In 2012, he was given the opportunity to take on a role in operations and sales. In this position, he was successful in signing on some key accounts for the company. He was also able to oversee some of the company’s smaller operations, allowing him to manage employees throughout daily production.
In 2020, the company recognized the need for a chief operating officer, and Miller was offered the position. While he still works in produce sales, operations are the bulk of his day-to-day responsibilities. During his tenure at Melon 1, he brought in new technology credited for improving daily efficiencies, and the company became able to do in 12 hours what used to take 16 to 18 hours during the busy summer months. Now the largest watermelon shipper in the country, the company has grown to five times the size since Miller started.
Q: What do you know now you wish you knew when you first started your career?
Produce is about patience. I didn’t have much of that at the beginning of my career.
Q: What advice would you give someone new to the produce industry?
You never stop learning in this industry. Soak in all the knowledge you can get.
Q: What is the one thing in your business that you are most passionate about?
Being able to provide a quality product to consumers that they will enjoy.
Q: How has the industry changed during your tenure?
The amount of technology we have to use now to get produce from farm to table has grown exponentially during my time.
Q: What do you think consumers will desire in the future?
As we have already seen in certain trends, consumers are going less toward pre-packaged process goods and more toward fresh produce.
Q: What accomplishment are you most proud of in your career?
We travel during the growing season and are away from home five months out of the year. My wife Katelyn and I have been able to build a family around my career, and we are able to spend summers together away from home. It’s been a great accomplishment to have our family together during those months away from home.
NOMINEES
