Since joining Three Roots Capital in 2016, Chris Miller has played a pivotal role in shaping financial strategy and helping bring transformative projects to life in communities that need them most. As Chief Financial Officer, his work spans everything from overseeing complex financial operations to supporting client companies with transaction structuring, cash flow modeling, and capital-raising preparation.
Chris grew up in an entrepreneurial family, an experience that shaped both his career path and his perspective.
“I’ve always loved the spirit of entrepreneurship and helping entrepreneurs grow their businesses,” said Chris.
Prior to joining Three Roots, Chris managed a $150 million commercial loan portfolio focused on small businesses and middle-market companies. Before that, he worked as an associate supporting approximately $50 million in early- and growth-stage equity funds across southern and central Appalachia, focusing on deal origination, due diligence, and portfolio management.
Expanding Accessible Capital
As Three Roots’ business has grown over the past ten years, so have Chris’ responsibilities.
“What started as a traditional financial role has evolved significantly,” Chris explains. “Today, we’re managing multiple product lines, a growing team, and complex financial operations—including more than 80 accounts that require reconciliation.”
His work reflects one of the firm’s core priorities: capital efficiency.
“One of our broader efforts at Three Roots is asking: how quickly and efficiently can we deploy capital where it’s needed most?”
New Markets Tax Credit Program
Chris leads Three Roots’ New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) program, a major driver of economic impact.
The Three Roots team prioritizes large-scale, job-creating projects—often in manufacturing—and targets communities facing significant economic challenges, such as high unemployment, poverty, or low median family income. In just the past three years, Three Roots’ NMTC efforts have supported the creation of more than 1,600 jobs—all in severely distressed communities.
“We’ve been really fortunate to work with some of the highest-quality partners, consultants, and vendors in the industry,” Chris notes. “That collaboration is critical to delivering successful projects.”
Model Mill Redevelopment
The Model Mill project in Johnson City was one of the first larger-scale efforts Chris and the Three Roots team worked on, seeing its significant potential from the beginning.
The project involved the adaptive reuse of a historic property in a neighborhood facing tumultuous blight, high unemployment, and poverty. With significant capital needs to make it over the finish line, the project required careful structuring and coordination. Three Roots secured NMTC funding that would transform the mill and the neighborhood forever.
“It’s a great example of what can happen when you bring together strong partners to execute a high-quality, impactful project,” recounts Chris. “I love the challenge of our work, getting the right stakeholders together, coaching a client, and putting together the right structure. It gives me a sense of pride and purpose to know the work that we do helps create jobs, provide goods and services to communities, and expand access to affordable housing.”
Building a Meaningful Legacy
Throughout his time at Three Roots, Chris’ commitment to integrity has remained constant.
“A guiding light for us early on was to maintain the highest level of integrity as a company,” Chris says. “Financial management is a huge part of that. We want our partners and portfolio companies to trust us for our accuracy and transparency.”
That culture extends across the organization.
“We have a great team, everyone pitches in to maintain the highest standards in how we conduct business.”
Chris first worked with Three Roots founder Grady Vanderhoofven more than 20 years ago as an intern.
“Chris and I have worked together for decades,” says Grady. “I met him when he was finishing his MBA at the University of Tennessee, before he married and started a family. He stood out as the top performer among the MBA interns we brought in over several years while I co-managed two venture capital funds. After he graduated, I hired him, and except for his three-year stint in banking, we have worked together for nearly 20 years. He was my first external recruit to the 3Roots team when we were a start-up, and he has been in the trenches with me ever since.”
Their long-standing relationship reflects a shared vision for investing in projects that deliver both financial returns and meaningful community outcomes. It’s that vision that continues to motivate Chris’s career.
“Chris has been central to the growth and evolution of Three Roots Capital—his contributions have helped shape the organization, and it would not be the same without him,” remarked Grady. “Over the past two decades, he has become a respected leader in community development finance and the NMTC industry, and he embodies our standards and the impact we strive to deliver in the communities we serve.”
“It’s really rewarding to go to work every day knowing that what you do is making a difference,” said Chris. “If you enjoy your work, know that it’s meaningful, and enjoy the people you do it with, that’s how you build a legacy. For your career and for the company.”