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Who We Are


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Freeman-and-Ann-Miller

Family Roots

My dad taught me how to build a quality product and always said, “measure twice, and cut once…” something I have never forgotten!

We’re very thankful for the heritage we have been given, and we strive daily to serve our Lord Jesus Christ, provide for our family, and serve our customers the same way our parents did.

- Kenneth Miller

Founder of Classic Buildings

How We Got Started

Hear Kenneth’s heartfelt story, in his own words, how Classic Buildings LLC, the Midwest leader in  portable buildings,  was started.

Freeman Miller, (my Dad) was building portable buildings ever since I was 12 years old.  Afternoons I’d come home from school and try to stay out of dad’s sight or he’d put me to work building storage buildings.

I remember helping Dad loading a storage building onto a little trailer with a come-along winch and handy-man jacks.  We worked hard and I thought Dad was overworking me, but I am now very thankful for all that he’s taught me.

After I graduated from school, I went to work as a bricklayer for several years till I just got so tired of it.  I begged my dad and Milan, my brother-in-law who had bought into the business by then, to let me work for them.

I have memories of carrying lumber several hundred yards to build buildings on site. There were times we built 2 and 3 sheds a day, all the while timing ourselves to beat our own records.  The fastest we ever built a 12×16 building was 1 hour and 45 minutes with only 3 men.

In September of 2003, I, my wife Abigail, and baby daughter moved from Salem, IN, to Salem, MO, with very little money but a whole lot of determination to start our very own business.

Prior to moving to MO, I worked for my Dad and brother in law building portable buildings.  But I had itchy feet and sometimes wanted to change and improve things for them but they did not always like my propositions. I had big ideas and thought that if I could only start my own business I could do things better, bigger and faster.

In October of 2003 we ran a little ad in the local newspaper and managed to sell 3 storage buildings to local folks in Salem that fall.  I’ll never forget the first building I sold, as I didn’t even have a truck yet and had to pile all my tools in the back of our minivan, which was our only vehicle. I’d had a lot of experience working with my dad in previous years, so I went to work and built it in one day from start to finish, paint and all, with my wife Abigail’s help setting up the walls.

Toward the last part of October, with my Dad and little brother Dale’s help, we built 2 display models beside HWY 19 south of Salem on 1 acre of land that God had blessed us with.  My sister Carolyn painted a 4’x8’ sign, that we set up on two 6’x6’s right beside the highway.  Woo Hoo!  We were off to a grand start; or at least so I thought.  There was still a lot of work to be done and a tremendous amount of things I needed to learn.

In January of 2004, I got tired of working in the cold and with the help of my Dad and brothers, I built a little 30’x 40’ shop.  Believe me, it was a cheap little shop and my brothers gave me a hard time, telling me I was tight and all but it served its purpose and I was out of the cold.

I was so happy to be on my way to growing the business with my newly acquired shop; I was now able to build the buildings entirely inside the shop.  All I needed now was a trailer with which to haul the buildings.  I started looking for something I could afford and ended up putting rollers on a conventional goose-neck trailer to convert it into something that I could haul sheds on.  That trailer was quite a jalopy, but it worked just fine.  Until one fine day when I was on HWY 63 heading north out of Rolla; approximately half way down a hill my truck lurched forward as if it got an extra surge of power out of nowhere.  I instantly looked in my rear-view mirror and (surprise!) the building was rolling off the back of the trailer!

I tried hitting the brakes to keep it on the trailer, but alas, I was too late.  That building so smoothly slid off the back of that trailer and just gracefully sat down on HWY 63.  My mind started spinning.  Not 5 minutes later 2 DOT officers came on the scene and so kindly helped me out of my predicament.  I inspected the building and it was only slightly cracked, which was very easily fixed.  I was able to deliver the building to the customer a few days later, this time I used better straps!

These days its a bit different. We operate out of a state of the art manufacturing facility that houses a work force and the corporate offices.  Our staff and associates have expanded far and wide across the entire US focusing on the Midwest, which is our grass roots home.

We are so blessed that the hard work that my father instilled in myself and my family, has a real foot hold now.  Thank you, to all the Classic Building LLC associates, employee’s, friends and family and namely the customers who continue to help us be a great success. May God bless each and every one of you.”

A Defining Moment 

Early in our company’s beginning, our owner Kenneth Miller, gave a quote to a customer on one of our buildings. The giving of this quote, became a defining moment for Classic Buildings.

Like any ordinary day,  giving quotes was a part of what Kenneth felt put him first in the minds of a potential customer.  It gave him, like all other Classic Buildings portable building specialists, the opportunity to find out what the customer needed.

This day was no different. Kenneth felt from the time the potential customer contacted Classic Buildings, that he did a good job and the nice couple seemed satisfied and left happy.

Then came the disappointment.  Kenneth learned  that the customer he liked so well purchased elsewhere.

He decided to find out why.  Kenneth is intent and well-organized. What he learned was that, at least in this instance, it came down to price.  What, price?  This did not settle well with Kenneth. He knew without question he was building a good product, at a very fair price.

If the ‘other guys’ do not add value proposition with exceptional customer service, what happens when you have a problem with a building?  It does happen.  Classic Buildings handles every situation with the 100% guarantee, and in a big way.  Kenneth counted the cost of good customer service.  Is that why the customer didn’t buy?

It takes time to respond to customers, and meet all their needs, while the ‘other guys’ may not count the cost and leave the customer dissatisfied. Leaving the customer unhappy was not an option,  on any level, not for Classic Buildings.

Kenneth Miller made a defining-moment decision.  How was the ‘other guy’  able to offer a lower price? How was their service guarantee really? He immediately went and looked at the other guys building’s and then later purchased one of their building’s. What he discovered was eye opening.

Trust me, Kenneth never knocks the competition he merely needed to do due-diligence out of respect for himself and the customer. Here is what he found.

What he found was, even though the building’s looked similar, the other guy’s building was not built to the same standards.  Also, they did not use the same quality of materials to build their building.  That explained why their building cost less.  Customer service, at that point wouldn’t matter if the product was inferior to start, certainly your customer service at that point, would have to be exceptional.

Kenneth had to make a decision, and because he is keen to slow reaction and analysis, he recognized quickly that we refuse to lower our standards of quality and true craftsmanship.  He understood that the question, “Do we lower our standards to compete on price, or do we build the best buildings that we can at an affordable price?” was a defining moment.  Lowering quality would never happen, not now, not ever.

Now Kenneth and the team needed to educate the public.

A quality portable or built on site building, that is going to last, has the lowest cost of ownership.

All of us at Classic Buildings are proud that Kenneth decided to continue to build the best buildings possible at an affordable price.  We think you will agree after learning more about Classic Buildings that we offer a product that is built to last and truly has the lowest cost of ownership; better than any other portable building on the market today.

The home or business owner is invested from day one or at the first point of contact with a company.  We appreciate the time it takes for a home or business owner to research our type of buildings, products and service.

A smart buyer does his or her own due diligence.  Because we appreciate the time it takes to pick and purchase the best product, we hope that what we say makes great sense, and that in your own defining moment, you choose Classic Buildings to provide an exceptional product, one that you can be truly proud of for years to come.

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