At a Glance

What book is currently on your nightstand?

Open: The Progressive Case for Free Trade, Immigration, and Global Capital by Kimberly Clausing.

What charity or cause are you passionate about?

Public radio and anything to do with the environment.

What’s the first thing you do when you get home after a long day at work?

Look around the house and start picking up stuff that I’ve messed up [he laughs].

What vacation spot is on your bucket list?

Africa, Tanzania, or Nigeria.

If you could domesticate a wild animal, what animal would it be?

Man, I don’t want to domesticate wild animals… but when my kids would ask me “What’s your favorite animal, dad?” I’d always say the pangolin.

Dan Miller outdoors

At a Glance

What book is currently on your nightstand?

Open: The Progressive Case for Free Trade, Immigration, and Global Capital by Kimberly Clausing.

What charity or cause are you passionate about?

Public radio and anything to do with the environment.

What’s the first thing you do when you get home after a long day at work?

Look around the house and start picking up stuff that I’ve messed up [he laughs].

What vacation spot is on your bucket list?

Africa, Tanzania, or Nigeria.

If you could domesticate a wild animal, what animal would it be?

Man, I don’t want to domesticate wild animals… but when my kids would ask me “What’s your favorite animal, dad?” I’d always say the pangolin.

Images ©Kerry Tasker

Off the Cuff

Dan Miller

I always wanted to draw,” says Dan Miller; he’s spent decades providing illustrative and graphic design services in Alaska via his company Dan Miller Graphics. In fact, anyone who’s snagged a can or case from Midnight Sun Brewing has seen his work up close. “It’s fun working for them—and they have great beer,” Miller says.

He likes to build relationships with clients, and he’s happy for the opportunity to work for clients that he personally supports, such as local brewers or businesses in the tourism industry. “I like the freedom [of freelancing],” he says. “It’s not making me rich, but you know, it’s definitely not a bad lifestyle. I love doing graphic design, I really do.”

Please visit akbizmag.com/BOAB for an extended interview with Miller.

Alaska Business: What do you do in your free time?
Dan Miller: My wife and I might go for a walk around the lake… In summertime, it’s projects: I like to work around the house… this year my project is fencing off the deck so my little dog can come out here and I don’t have to worry about him running down there and getting eaten by an eagle.

AB: Is there a skill you’re currently developing or have always wanted to learn?
Miller: I’d like to learn how to write better.

AB: What’s the most daring thing you’ve ever done?
Miller: Having kids—that’s daring, that’ll change your life.

AB: What’s your favorite local restaurant?
Miller: For burgers, Tommy’s Burgers, although there’s a lot of good burger places around town. I love the peanut curry noodle soup at Pho Lena. My wife and I, for a quick evening out, we like going to Firetap, and of course for pizza we go to Moose’s Tooth.

AB: Other than your current career, if you were a kid today, what would your dream job be?
Miller: I often wonder what it would have been like to, say, become an engineer and be someone who can create innovation to help keep us sustainable.

AB: What’s your favorite way to exercise?
Miller: I go over [to the Bayshore Clubhouse] and work out for an hour, and then I swim for half an hour, and swimming is my candy bar. I love swimming.

AB: Dead or alive, who would you like to see perform live in concert?
Miller: I’d want to see Jimi Hendrix, that would be a classic.

AB: What’s your greatest extravagance?
Miller: Travel is our biggest expense right now. It enriches your life—it’s worth it.

AB: What’s your best attribute and worst attribute?
Miller: I’m really interested in providing a good product to my clients. That’s what drives me, probably more than just making money. That’s a good thing. For my worst attribute? I’m a bit of a slob; as my wife will attest to, I hang on to things too much.

Dan Mill outdoors