A Sea of Competition
The little fish with big dreams — how Parkson emerged from a converted gas station to an international powerhouse.
Ask Parkson’s former VP of Sales and GM Municipal Business Mike Miller the key to his 40- year career, and he’ll quickly emphasize, “It’s all about relationships.” What started as a small, six-person group operating from a converted, two-room gas station in Fort Lauderdale became one of the most reputable wastewater equipment manufacturers in the industry. How? Ambition. Innovation. Persistence. And a young team in their late 20s who forged a company culture akin to an extended family.
Originally envisioned in the early ‘60s by two men, Palmason, and Parks of Parker Pen Fame, Parkson (the combination of the two aforementioned names) was acquired by Axel Johnson Inc. in 1967. Parker provided the capital and Palmason the idea; which was selling evaporators to the orange farming industry.
“Axel Johnson had a home in Naples, was introduced to the company, and decided he wanted a presence in Florida,” Miller explains.
But it wasn’t until the Clean Water Act passed in 1972, that Parks Souther, the company’s first CEO and visionary, had his a-ha moment.
“Souther was one of the more driven individuals you’d meet,” Miller recalls. “He also realized a little company like us couldn’t compete with the biggies unless we had something different to offer. And he was convinced the future was in the environmental field.”
“It’s all about relationships. What started as a small, 6-person group operating from a converted, two-room gas station in Fort Lauderdale has become one of the most profitable and reputable wastewater equipment manufacturers in the industry. How? Ambition. Innovation. Persistence. And a young team in their late 20s who forged a company culture akin to an extended family.”
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Mike Miller
VP of Sales and GM Municipal Business Parkson
Fortunately, he was spot on, and the first innovations—led by visionary Swedish designer Hans Larsen—to land Parkson among “the biggies” was the Lamella® Gravity Settler and, in 1976, the Aqua Guard® Bar/Filter Screen. Fast-forward two years, and Miller, who was at a Fortune 500 company at the time, was persuaded to interview with Parkson.
“When I came [to Florida] for that first interview, our building was a glorified gas station—one long building right next to railroad tracks, and trains came several times a day.” Yet, like the trains behind its ramshackle headquarters, the company’s young team picked up speed. “When we started out, we were unknown in the industry,” Miller says. “We had a high probability of not succeeding. Most of our talent (risk-takers by nature) had to relocate from somewhere else. At the same time, Axel Johnson didn’t mettle – they gave us the freedom to make decisions that were best for everybody in the long run, even if it negatively affected the short term. They were the perfect partner.”
The next big break for Parkson?
A Friday afternoon call from General Motors. Miller’s wife, Rene, explains, “GM called Mike, under the gun. Due to the Clean Water Act, If they didn’t have their wastewater issues cleaned up in 30 days, they were going to be heavily fined.” Mike and his team quickly rallied, proving themselves not only to GM, but the entire auto industry. Yet it was a deep-sea outing that cemented the relationship. Miller had taken the top GM brass on the water, and “apparently there’s no deep sea-fishing in Detroit,” Miller jokes. “They were all seasick, so we got to know each other really well, really fast.”
Ilustración de Veronica Grech
This emphasis on building and nurturing relationships has been—and continues to be—Parkson’s secret sauce. For employees and clients, Parkson became an extended family; relationships cemented with social gatherings and shared highs and lows. “It is more than just a company. It is a family. We work hard, play hard, and rely on one another. Spouses or partners are all part of Parkson. These relationships are what continue to define us.”
What does Miller credit with Parkson’s success?
Autonomy. Trust. And never giving up.
“I tell people you really only have one job, and that’s to make decisions in your area of expertise,” he says, “and we all make good and bad decisions. The hope is you are right most of the time.
Parkson trusted people, delegated, and told people to run with it. We always felt that 100 creative minds solving a problem were better than one or two people telling the other 98 how to do a job.”
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Director of Sustainability & Corporate Communications
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