James Miller II, CEO, Vision Investment Group

James Miller, II is a Board Director and CEO who works in partnership and collaboration across diverse groups of people to set strategic direction, foster cross-functional consensus, enable transformation, and attain mission success. Merging extensive C-level leadership experience with a broad and diverse Board Director background,  James guides companies and their leaders in achieving strategic growth. 

James has served in numerous C-level roles, as well as mid- to senior-level positions, across diverse industries where he has garnered extensive experience in multi-unit management/ownership, strategic brand positioning, business growth/transformation, product development, M&As, and marketing in domestic and international markets. He has also served on 15 Boards of Directors as Chairman, President, Parliamentarian, Sergeant at Arms,  Secretary-Treasurer, and multi-board liaison for private, public, and nonprofit sectors, both international and domestic, including Subway (Corporate and Franchisees), Westin Resorts, Vistana Signature Experiences, and  Marriott. In all roles, James works in partnership with all board members and company leaders, creating and launching forward-thinking strategies that create highly competitive market leaders. 

Beginning his career with Weaver Popcorn as Chief Marketing Officer and Chief Revenue Officer, James was selected right out of college from 1,200 applicants to spearhead a $20M division. In 1996, James was recruited by Nesco, a highly specialized utility equipment company in international telecom and fiber optic as their first  Chief Marketing Officer of North America, adding the title of Chief Sales Officer of North America one year later.  In these roles, James turned around the business, securing status as a Top 3 largest global supplier in the industry and positioned the company for successful acquisition, and was awarded Recipient of Award from CEO for the  Highest Sales Transaction in Company History. 

In 1998, James founded Vision Investment Group, where he served as a Chief Executive Officer and Chief  Marketing Officer of Subway Multi-unit Franchising, where he initially acquired two Subway Franchises with 20  employees and led the company through startup to strategically position his Subway franchise business to grow to today’s “Top 25 largest franchisees globally” (50+ locations; 1,200 employees). He grew revenues from $250K  to $20M+ by acquiring 38+ businesses and building 14 new locations from the ground up.  

Within the Subway family, James is most proud of generating $3.8B in sales as Board Liaison working with Subway marketing team by creating and launching a $5 Footlong promotion in recessionary 2008. This campaign achieved a #1 Fast-Food Brand ranking in multiple categories worldwide and is recognized as the highest revenue-generating promotion in company history (recorded in Smithsonian’s Institute of Marketing). James has also received additional awards that include Franchisee of the Year, Best Advertising and Promotions of the Year (2X),  Most Improved Operations, Highest Sales Growth (multiple), and Manager of Year (multiple), among others. 

James Miller is a strategic, game-changing visionary who brings about the revolutionary and constructive change that positively impacts profitability. Leading from the front, he builds highly cohesive environments and teams.  Throughout his career, he has forged and delivered numerous multimillion-dollar partner relationships with companies that include Coca-Cola, Frito-Lay, Subway, Sprint, NASCAR, NFL, Disney, Twitter, Google, Westin Hotels, and Resorts, American Heart Association, and Walmart, among others. James is recognized for merging an open mind, an engaging personality, and an out-of-the-box leadership style to uncover new opportunities, improve brand positioning, significantly enhance operational efficiencies, and quickly resolve business challenges. 

An accomplished speaker, James has presented to audiences of up to 2,500 people and has served in an advisory/mentoring role for various fundraising efforts and companies that include Dancer Concrete, Subway  Franchisees, Steak ‘n Shake, Mr. Brews Taphouse, Umi, and the Subway Executive Leadership Team. James also served as the Advisor to the Boy Scouts of America/Scouts Canada, where he was awarded the “men’s necktie”  worn by Prime Minister of Canada, Jean Chrétien, for exemplary service to Scouts Canada. James attended  Milligan University where he received his Bachelor of Science in Marketing, Computer Science, and Team Labor.