Tragic Car Accident
Vail Miller Sr., a prominent former business executive well-known in the Dayton area, tragically lost his life in a fatal auto accident on a California highway last Friday, as confirmed by the California Highway Patrol. His wife, Carol Miller, also endured minor injuries in the accident, according to Sgt. William Bradshaw of the California Highway Patrol.
For several years, the Miller family, including Vail Miller Sr. and his wife Carol Miller, played a significant role in the day-to-day operations of Moraine's Heidelberg beverage distribution company. At one point, Albert Vontz III and Carol Miller each held 50 percent of the voting shares in Heidelberg. Vail Miller Sr. dedicated over four decades to leading the company, serving as co-chairman during a period when their son, Vail Miller Jr., held the position of CEO.
In October 2021, the owners of Heidelberg Distributing made the decision to sell their business to Redwood Capital Investments. Both Vail Miller Jr., then CEO of Heidelberg, and Albert Vontz IV confirmed that the Miller and Vontz families reached an agreement to sell Heidelberg Distributing and Ohio Valley Wine Co. to Redwood, a holding company.
The Napa Valley Register reported on Saturday that an unidentified Ohio man lost his life, while another Ohioan sustained injuries in a single-vehicle crash south of Calistoga on Friday. The California Highway Patrol provided this information, stating that around 11:10 p.m. on Friday, a Mercedes-Benz GLC300 SUV was traveling south on the Silverado Trail during rainy conditions when it veered off the road and collided with a tree south of Dunaweal Lane, as reported by Vince Pompliano, a spokesman for CHP's Napa bureau. Vail Miller Sr., a resident of Oregonia in Warren County, was pronounced dead at the accident scene.
Vail Miller Jr. currently operates a business in St. Helena, California, as indicated on his LinkedIn page. Messages were sent to him and Chris Rammel, the President of Heidelberg, with Vail Miller Jr. requesting prayers and privacy during this challenging time.
In 2017, Heidelberg stood as the 14th-largest distributor of beer, wine, and spirits in the nation, serving 26,000 retailers across Ohio and Kentucky. The company operated nine warehouses and offices with a workforce of 1,600 employees.
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