Melissa Miller, 39

By Lorna Collier

Melissa Miller always knew she wanted to be in business, and describes herself as “one of those little kids who had the first lemonade stand on the block. I’ve always been selling something.”

Today, 39-year-old Miller is still selling, only she has moved up from lemonade to real estate. She is a commercial broker-associate at Century 21 Country North, working with both national and local clients. “I love working with different types of people,” she says.

Miller is a Rockford native who earned her bachelor’s degree and her MBA at Rockford College. Beyond her business success,Miller has been a leader in charitable works in Rockford.

As a member of the Rock River Valley Pantry’s board of directors, she organized this year’s Peanut Butter Duathlon fundraiser. She is active in the Rockford Alzheimer’s Association and twice chaired its Sounds of Sunset fundraiser. She has served as fundraising chair at the Barbara Olson Center of Hope and been involved in the Rockford Symphony Orchestra Black Magic Committee and the New American Theatre Auxiliary.

Rockford’s downtown River District also has a piece of Miller’s heart. She has served on the River District Association fund development team and believes this part of the city needs more investment.

“The River District is Rockford’s true and smart growth area,”Miller says. Miller is president of the Chamber’s Rockford Advantage Club and is active with the Rockford Area Association of Realtors. In her spare time, she loves to run, watch movies and travel.

Miller plans to continue giving back to the community through charitable works, and dreams of helping develop a new, no-kill animal shelter. As a pet-lover with a dog and a cat, Miller says she “wants to be part of something that will help homeless animals.”