Ken Mills retires but Brett will continue the family tradition

From left, Brett and Ken Mills. The Nambour and Maroochydore dealerships will remain in the safe hands of Ken’s son Brett Mills and his wife Caroline.

If you live locally you’ll be sure to recognise the name Ken Mills Toyota.  

At the heart of the dealership is Ken Mills himself. Ken is retiring from the Kingaroy business, stepping down as Dealer Principal after nearly 30 years.

The Nambour and Maroochydore dealerships will remain in the safe hands of Ken’s son Brett Mills and his wife Caroline. They purchased the “busted and broken” dealerships in 2002 and transformed them into the progressive, innovative outlets they are today. The Kingaroy and Sunshine Coast dealerships are independently operated as separate companies but share a trading name and a philosophy to invest in good people, create a trustworthy culture, offer exceptional guest experience, embrace product innovation and support the local community.

Brett attributes his lifelong Toyota obsession and his robust personal, business and community values to his parents, Ken and Sheryl.

Brett and his sister Tanya grew up on their parents’ 10 acre property near Gympie. The hard-working family looked after the hobby farm as well as running the local Toyota dealership. Brett spent his formative years enjoying the Australian farm life and it was on the farm where his love of Toyota and his entrepreneurial streak blossomed.

Brett tells childhood stories of making money “up selling” calves to neighbours and outdoor adventuring with the “big green esky” to Fraser Island after collecting blocks of ice, that would last for weeks, from the Gympie Butter Factory. 

“We would travel to Fraser in a short 40, my sister and I sitting in the back, on roles of foam which would later become our beds,” said Brett. “We be up there for weeks at a time.” 

Ken got innovative and still holds a pattern for converting Landcruiser tray backs into Grand Tourer buses which were used by tour operators on the Island and places like the Northern Territory. 

Brett remembers getting his hands dirty building a Toyota Celica with his dad for his sister (building runs in the family) and learning to drive in a Toyota FJ45 Landcruiser.

Brett’s Toyota Journey

Brett worked in the Kingaroy dealership alongside his father from 1996 - 1999, learning his way around and absorbing everything Toyota, where he has spent most of his working life.  

After  Kingaroy, Brett landed his dream job as National Dealer Planning Manager in Sydney where  he met Caroline. He used his time with Toyota to grasp a clear understanding of how the dealer network operates. He fostered life-long relationships and learned how the manufacturing, supply side of the global business works.

Armed with this additional knowledge and with guidance from Ken, Brett in 2002 became Australia’s youngest Toyota dealer at just 27.

Ken Mills Toyota Sunshine Coast 

When Brett took over the reigns at the Sunshine Coast dealerships in 2002 there were only 40 staff (10 at Maroochydore and 30 Nambour). The sites were a mess and Brett recalls the team putting on their work clothes and cleaning the sites up. Brett found the start challenging and thanks his Dad’s expertise for helping steer the business in its formative years. Brett knew the importance of having ‘good people’ in the business and recruited fresh blood, some of whom  still work alongside Brett today.

Challenges & Transformations

In 2008 the new Maroochydore site was being built at the same time the Global Financial Crisis struck. This was a stagnated time for the business as the Sunshine Coast struggled with the world-wide catastrophe. However, by 2010 the Coast returned to a growth stage and Mark Pagett was employed as General Manager. Brett and Mark have worked together to build the business and its reputation since then. 

The historic Nambour site had a major facelift and renovation in 2015 and Maroochydore is currently undergoing modernisation.

2022 Milestones

As Ken retires from the Kingaroy dealership his outstanding efforts in the local community have been acknowledged as he was recently awarded the 2022 South Burnett Citizen of the year. He is passing the reigns to equity partner David Musch and Brett will take a more active role in the Kingaroy space.

In another Mills milestone, December will see Brett and Caroline celebrate 20 years of ownership of the Sunshine Coast dealerships. 

Beyond 2022 Brett plans to continue to drive Ken Mills Toyota into the future buoyed by the dominance of the hybrids and growth opportunities on the Sunshine Coast.