About Us - Est. 1940

Roots in the lumber business.

rk MILES is a fourth-generation family business, though the company’s history begins five generations ago with Frederick Miles whose 1880s purchase of 800 acres of timberland on Red Mountain in Arlington, Vermont was the start of what was to become the rk MILES of today. His son, Richard K. Miles Sr. would return from being away 40 years later to the same forest land.

Richard Sr relocated his family to Arlington, Vermont where he first took up logging operations on the Red Mountain property and later purchased a water-powered sawmill operation on the Battenkill in that same town. In 1927 this milling operation moved from its riverside location to a brick-and-mortar retail establishment on Chittenden Drive in Arlington, and Miles Lumber Co. was established. The company sold lumber, hardware, fuel oil and coal to local residents and businesses and also operated a mill shop. In 1940, seeing an opportunity for a second location, Richard purchased a small lumber company in Manchester, Vermont incorporating it separately as r.k. Miles, Inc.

In the early 1950s, Richard K. Miles Jr, or Dick to all who knew him, took over the operation of rk MILES. He grew the business by supplying the local communities, including the adjacent ski areas Bromley, Stratton and Magic Mountain, with “everything to build anything.” Dick was an astute businessman who understood the need for community involvement, good service and profit. He was known to state, in matter-of-fact terms, “no profit, no business.”

After college, Dick’s son, Josiah “Joe” Miles returned to Vermont and after the untimely death of his father, took over business operations in 1992. During the 1990s through the early 2000s, the housing business was robust in Southern Vermont and rk MILES’ campus expanded to not only include more consumer goods but also a kitchen/bath design center, window showroom, and millwork department. rk MILES also expanded its footprint past Southern Vermont and between 2005 -2008 the company added locations in Middlebury, Vermont and Williamstown and Hatfield, Massachusetts. During the next decade, growth continued and in 2017, the company acquired locations in Morrisville and Stowe VT. In 2020, Joe’s son Henry was involved in the expansion into four new Vermont locations in Barre, Montpelier, St. Johnsbury and Waitsfield with the purchase of Allen Lumber Company – a 132-year-old, 5^th generation family business.

Now with 10 locations and the fourth generation stepping into a leadership role, rk MILES is poised to continue to build on the solid foundation of the past – a family business that values people and relationships, both with our customers and its employees.

We are committed and care about the communities we do business in and this commitment is one of the core values of our company.

We understand how the way we do business affects the communities in which we work. We care and show support with donations to local organizations and nonprofit groups.

We also understand the impact our company has on the environment, so we recycle and research environmentally preferable products when purchasing for our facilities.