President's Council on Jobs and Competitiveness

Darlene Miller

President and CEO, Permac Industries

Darlene Miller

Darlene Miller is the owner and CEO of Permac Industries, a precision machining company custom manufacturing precision parts for customers worldwide in virtually all industries located in Burnsville, Minnesota. She started working as a Sales Representative at Permac in 1992, became part owner in 1993 to 100% ownership of the company in 1994  

She finds that owning Permac Industries has been exciting, challenging, and rewarding -- both business and personal.

Under Darlene’s leadership Permac Industries was named the U.S. Chamber Small Business of the Year for the entire USA in 2008.

Darlene has also won numerous personal awards:

  • 2010 Burnsville Chamber of Commerce Business Person of the Year
  • 2009 Finance & Commerce Named 1 of 40 Minnesotans on the Move
  • 2006 Small Business Administration (SBA) Small Business Person of the Year for Minnesota

Darlene has actively served on numerous Boards for a variety of industry and community organizations and is currently a member of the U.S. Chamber Board of Directors and Advisory Council, board of directors for PMPA and MPMA (Manufacturing Trade Associations), and the Minnesota Valley Medical Manufacturers network (MEDNET), which she co-founded in 2006.

As a two time member of Minnesota Governor Pawlenty’s trade missions to both South America and India, Darlene is able to understand global markets and how they pertain to her business in Minnesota.

Since 2002, Hope for Tomorrow has been one of Darlene’s personal passions.

The mentoring program pairs business leaders with students to help create self confidence and tomorrow’s leaders. She is very proud to have co-founded several chapters along with the first Boys Chapter.  

Darlene was born the sixth of eight children and grew up on a family farm in New Prague, Minnesota. She is the proud mother of two sons and five grandchildren.