This content is sponsored by EagleBank.
It all started with a family-run filling station in Beltsville, Maryland.
Today, Miller Automotive Services is still family-run, but it comprises both a bustling fleet services and commercial fueling business as well as a growing industrial property management company in Prince George’s County.
From the start, when brothers Carl and Mark Miller realized that there was a need for full-service fleet services easily accessible from Interstate 95, it became clear that a local banking partner was a critical need.
They wanted to create something uncommon in the area and acquiring the right property would require a bank loan, said Carl Miller during WTOP’s Small Business September 2025.
The purchase of an 7.7-acre property that could support a large fueling depot, repair shop and fleet storage “was our first foray into commercial banking,” he said. “That was over 20 years ago, and we’ve been working with EagleBank ever since.”
Building a relationship that adapts
Miller Automotive Services views partnering with EagleBank as a smart business strategy because of the Washington, D.C., regional bank’s commitment to community vitality.
“With the larger banks,” Miller said. “You’re a name and a number. But EagleBank is invested in the community. They’re financing restaurants and small businesses right here in our community.”
That proved fundamentally important as the Miller family has expanded into industrial property management in and around the Beltsville location of Miller Automotive Services.
“I never hear the word ‘no’ or, ‘I’ve got to think about it.’ It is straightforward because we have a track record,” he said. “They do their due diligence too, but you can’t go running down that road and commit funds without knowing that your bank or your lender is there to help you.”
For EagleBank’s part, it’s all part of its “Relationships FIRST” philosophy — being flexible, being involved, being responsive, being strong, said Scott Reading, the vice president, commercial and industrial banking relationship manager at EagleBank who works closely with Miller.
“We love to be in the community, out doing things and being a part of it and giving back,” Reading said.
Agility matters when making deals happen
As Miller Automotive Services has continued to buy and provide industrial property to businesses in PG county, knowledge and speed have been key success factors in the diversification of the business.
Good properties rarely sit on the market for long, Miller said. “When something does come up, you have to move quickly,” he said. “I can make a phone call and say, ‘Here’s what we’re looking at,’ and get an immediate answer.”
EagleBank not only financed the original purchase of the site where Miller Automotive Services is located but also the entire buildout, which includes a fleet repair facility and a commercial fuel depot that features high-speed diesel pumps along with gas and diesel exhaust fluid.
Additionally, as an extension of the Millers’ business plan, via their CAMARK commercial real estate companies, EagleBank has continued to provide funding for various commercial property acquisitions that have further allowed the Millers to “repeat success” and in doing so build an impressive industrial real estate portfolio, Reading said
But it’s not just about each deal, both Miller and Reading said. The pair typically chat at length at least twice a month. That personal connection, in good times and when timelines get tight, cements a bond that outlasts any single transaction, Reading said.
“One of the most fun things about my job is getting behind the scenes at the business — getting in the warehouse, getting my hands dirty, seeing the actual space, learning about what makes you successful,” he said.
Trust creates loyalty in banking partnership
Miller’s intimate knowledge of the Beltsville’s real estate market is matched by EagleBank’s commitment to local entrepreneurs. Jessica Macias Vasquez, vice president, business banking relationship manager at EagleBank, put it succinctly: “Our goal is to be a trusted partner, someone who understands your business, advocates for your needs and supports your long-term goals with the right banking tools and resources.”
The pairing has created long-term loyalty on both sides, Miller said.
“They stayed with us, and that’s one of the reasons why we’ve been so loyal over time. They believed in what our dream was. They believed in what we were going for, and then it happened, and it keeps happening over and over again.”
To learn more about how EagleBank partners with small business, go here. And to discover more insights for entrepreneurs, startups and SMBs shared during WTOP’s Small Business September, click here.
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