Scott Miller, head of the Fresno Chamber, was one of the 60 Ideas in 60 Minutes speakers. Business Journal photo illustration
Scott Miller leads the Fresno Chamber of Commerce, but much of his business education came from running Miller-Clark Landscape and Nursery Co. and Gazebo Gardens Nursery. His 60 Ideas in 60 Minutes contribution, shared for the event hosted live Sept. 29, 2026, mixes business lessons with stories about persistence, relationships and taking chances in Fresno.
One early lesson came from a permit application for his first nursery. Miller brought a hand-drawn site map to the city, only to be turned away repeatedly. When someone new finally reviewed the plan, it was approved. The original reviewer, he learned, had thought Miller wanted a nursery for children rather than plants. The experience taught him how close an entrepreneur can come to quitting over a misunderstanding.
Encouragement can be just as consequential. At 16, while raking leaves, Miller was told by a successful acquaintance that landscaping might be a good business for him. He carried that comment into a career as a licensed landscape contractor and now tries to offer that same encouragement to others.
A loss in the 2006 Fresno City Council race became another unexpected lesson. The campaign strengthened his ability to approach people, hear rejection and keep asking. He later applied those skills to business development and his work at the chamber.
His advice is not limited to persistence. Treat people respectfully, he says, regardless of whether they appear able to help. Strong relationships are often more valuable than winning an argument. In a city where reputations travel quickly, keeping promises, paying on time and being dependable make a difference.
Miller also offers a practical reminder to mission-driven organizations: “No margin, no mission.” Financial stability is necessary to sustain a worthwhile purpose.
Finally, he describes leadership as absorbing uncertainty for others — making customers confident the work will be done and employees confident they can rely on the business. Much of it, in his view, comes down to a habit that sounds unremarkable but builds trust over time: showing up.