08/15/2026
This Sunday marks five months since Pine State Office Solutions opened, and I want to use the milestone to recognize someone who doesnāt get nearly enough attention.
Darren Mills.
When I decided to start Pine State, there were a million things I wasnāt sure about. One thing I knew pretty quickly was that if I was going to build the kind of company I wanted, I needed Darren beside me.
And five months later, I can say it pretty simply:
I couldnāt do this without him.
While Iām usually the one people see selling, delivering, quoting, posting on Facebook or running around doing whatever needs to be done, Darren is behind the scenes keeping our customers running.
Copiers. Printers. Computers. Surveillance systems. If it plugs in, has buttons, or makes strange noises⦠he can figure it out.
More importantly, heās someone I trust completely.
Weāve taken on some pretty significant contracts in our first five months, and I wouldnāt have had the confidence to take some of them on without knowing Darren was there to handle the technical side. His knowledge and ability are a huge part of what allows Pine State to offer something Iām extremely proud of⦠dependable, LOCAL service.
Starting Pine State was a bet on myself, but building it has never been something Iāve done completely by myself.
Darren took a chance on Pine State too.
Five months later, weāve got more customers, more contracts, a bigger building and more work than either of us probably expected this quickly.
And weāre having fun doing it.