[NEW EPISODE] The Puppy With A Purpose

EPISODE SUMMARY:

On today's episode of Philanthropy in Phocus join host Tommy Dimisa as he welcomes guest John Miller, CEO of Guide Dog Foundation and America's Vet Dogs. Together the Duo will dive into all the work that goes into running various nonprofit organizations, and just how important storytelling is in career development.

Show Notes

‍Segment 1

Tommy D kicks off the episode by introducing guest John Miller, CEO of Guide Dog Foundation and America's Vet Dogs. Tommy and John discuss John's leadership of both nonprofit organizations, and his background in the nonprofit sector. They explore John's successful partnerships with sports teams, including the Mets and Islanders, through programs like Purpose Paws. Tommy and John share mutual connections and discussed their shared interest in community work, with Tommy highlighting John's visibility in the sector.

Segment 2

The second segment begins with John discussing his career progression, highlighting his work at the Red Cross and Tourette Association of America. He expresses his goal to become a national CEO and shared his experience at Tourette, where he learned about neurological conditions and co-occurring issues. Tommy emphasizes the importance of storytelling in fundraising and sales, comparing it to his experience in nonprofits and sales. They briefly discuss John's potential interest in a new opportunity

Segment 3

John Miller, CEO of Guide Dog Foundation and America's Vet Dogs, discussed his 8-year tenure at the organizations, which have nearly tripled in size to $23 million in fundraising. He explained their unique model of operating two separate organizations under one managerial infrastructure, with programs including prison-based dog training and a comprehensive matching process for recipients. The organizations are entirely philanthropically funded, with no state or local government support, and recently secured approval for a commemorative coin program through the United States Mint. Tommy D and John Miller also discussed upcoming events including "Dogs on the Catwalk" in April and the potential for professional development programs to support their growing workforce.

‍Segment 4

In this closing segment, Tommy and John bring back all the key points from the previous segments, the importance of storytelling, the value of finding and establishing connections, and how important it is to be open minded and willing to learn something new. Both Tommy and John touch back on their own personal experiences with the statments and encourage us as listeners to do the same.

‍

Transcript

00:00:42.300 --> 00:00:51.520 Tommy DiMisa: Your boy is back, the one and only, the Nonprofit Sector Connector, coming at you. Again, it's been a while since I can truthfully tell you

00:00:51.620 --> 00:00:57.989 Tommy DiMisa: That I'm coming at you from the attic. Two flights up from the kitchen where I got my coffee, and trust me, I needed some coffee this morning.

00:00:57.990 --> 00:01:22.070 Tommy DiMisa: Every single week, I bring you another executive director of a nonprofit, another leader, another CEO, that top officer inside of an organization that is doing incredible work on the front lines of the nonprofit sector. Today is no different. In fact, today's like a double dip, because my friend and colleague John Miller is the leader of not one, but two organizations, which we're gonna get into. Guide Dog Foundation, America's Vet Dogs, we're gonna talk about all of this, we're gonna talk about

00:01:22.130 --> 00:01:29.709 Tommy DiMisa: John's background, the work he's done, the important work these organizations are doing. First of all, before I rant and rave, John, good morning, how are you?

00:01:29.860 --> 00:01:31.969 John Miller: Good morning, Tommy. Doing great.

00:01:32.210 --> 00:01:39.600 Tommy DiMisa: Good, good, I'm glad to have you here, man. This has been, like, this is… you are, like, on the short list of people that I'm like, why is John Miller not been on this?

00:01:39.710 --> 00:01:53.569 Tommy DiMisa: program, like… but I gotta tell you, man, you might have been on my chicken list, man. You're a big-time guy, you're a celeb, man. You're on a lot of big shows and stuff like that, so I was like, I don't know if he would even want to be on Philanthropy and Focus, man. He's a big celeb, you know?

00:01:53.570 --> 00:01:56.750 John Miller: Yeah, I'm happy to be here, this is great. I've been looking forward to it.

00:01:56.750 --> 00:02:07.760 Tommy DiMisa: I'm happy to have you here. I just noticed this, as we were getting ready, that I have on my pals shirt, the other show we do, Professionals and Animal Lovers show. I didn't even realize, not even planned, but it goes right into our theme today.

00:02:07.760 --> 00:02:22.039 Tommy DiMisa: But folks, all I would say to you is I am way deep in reading the applications for the Long Island Imagine Awards right now, so just to tell you what time of year it is, I got on my hoodie from the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame, so excited about that place. It actually says on my back.

00:02:22.040 --> 00:02:30.779 Tommy DiMisa: Long Island rocks. So it is a little bit of a home game for John and I, although he represents a national organization that is doing national work in the 50 states and Puerto Rico.

00:02:31.180 --> 00:02:39.660 Tommy DiMisa: this is a bit of a home game here on Long Island for me, and John is certainly a hometown hero, as I like to say. So, John, you're a Met fan, aren't you?

00:02:39.840 --> 00:02:47.869 John Miller: I am, big Mets fan. You know, we have a big partnership with the Mets, too. They're actually on their third dog. We have a popular purpose program.

00:02:47.870 --> 00:02:48.290 Tommy DiMisa: Yep.

00:02:48.290 --> 00:03:13.250 John Miller: Right? Which, you know, works… it started, actually, on the Today Show, with NBC. And then, you know, we've grown that to do, you know, multiple television networks, multiple sports teams. We're now in every major sporting league. You know, the last league for us to break into was the NBA, and, you know, we have a great relationship at this point with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Awesome. And, you know, the Mets are on their third dog, actually. Yeah. So, the Mets have been great to us. You know, all the teams.

00:03:13.250 --> 00:03:15.639 John Miller: really have been great. You know, the partnership…

00:03:15.640 --> 00:03:19.810 John Miller: The program, the sports part of the program, really started with the Islanders 7 years ago.

00:03:19.810 --> 00:03:20.319 Tommy DiMisa: Is that right?

00:03:20.320 --> 00:03:26.759 John Miller: And the Islanders are on their sixth dog, so we got Marty right now, you know, at UBS Arena every game.

00:03:26.760 --> 00:03:32.329 Tommy DiMisa: It's awesome. And, you know, I remember seeing you and some of your colleagues, I was there, if I'm not mistaken.

00:03:32.850 --> 00:03:39.139 Tommy DiMisa: it was Hello Korea… Korea Day, not Korea, but Korea Day, at… because I have these…

00:03:39.320 --> 00:04:01.570 Tommy DiMisa: hats that say, like, Hello Korea, and my daughter's got… my daughter's got a Mets jersey that says Korea on the back. It was, like, Korean Day at… at Citi Field, and I swear that was the same day I saw you, because I… I got to see, my guys, Tom Gretch and Brendan Levy over the Queens Chamber of Commerce. I get a little… you know what, Tommy D is a good name to have sometimes, so they knew I was at the game, I happened to be there with,

00:04:01.740 --> 00:04:17.540 Tommy DiMisa: My friend Linda Beagle Showman from the Scott J. Beagle Memorial Fund. Love you, Linda, love everything you're doing, important work, sending kids to camp who've been affected by gun violence in memory of her son, Scott, who was murdered in the Parkland shooting. Tragic, and we love Linda. And I happened to be with her.

00:04:17.540 --> 00:04:35.219 Tommy DiMisa: And her husband Michael's recently passed, at the game, and Brendan and I are texting, and he goes, we're in the box over here with, like, the Korean folks. It was, like, the Korean consulate, it was Hello Korea, all this kind of stuff. And then, coming out of, like, one of the suites, I ran into you. I swear it was that same day, I think…

00:04:35.220 --> 00:04:36.610 John Miller: It was, yeah, it was that day.

00:04:36.610 --> 00:04:49.520 Tommy DiMisa: Yeah, and it was just, what a kick, you know, all the stuff that goes on. The Mets do a great job. Shout out to Uncle Steve, where we… listen, we did not win this year, but I feel like we have an ownership team that cares about not only winning on the field.

00:04:49.520 --> 00:05:03.850 Tommy DiMisa: but winning in the community, and that's a big part of what they're about. So I think we could talk a little bit about that, you and I, today, because I know, you know, sports, as you said, is important. Before we get into that, before we get into these two organizations that you're running right now.

00:05:04.070 --> 00:05:23.329 Tommy DiMisa: I want to know who John Miller is, because as much as we say hello to each other, we see each other on the island at different events, we've never actually had that one-on-one. And I know you… by the way, my business partner, Ed Probst, says hello. I was on the phone with him a half hour ago, so he said, make sure you say hello to John. I didn't know I'd do it live during the show, but shout out to Vanguard Benefits, sometimes I do it live on the show.

00:05:23.330 --> 00:05:36.280 Tommy DiMisa: So, I… you and Ed know each other better than I do. Our friend Matt Thompson, who we have in common, you know, has brought a lot of things together. So, I thought we could start out… I mean, it's… this is not your first stop.

00:05:36.320 --> 00:05:50.890 Tommy DiMisa: You know, this goes back. So, why don't you take us down the road, John, of how did you even get an eye on the nonprofit sector? When did that even become something that was in your view, and you said, that's where I want to spend time? Let's talk a little bit about that.

00:05:51.040 --> 00:06:01.510 John Miller: Yeah, sure. So, you know, it wasn't an intentional ride, you know, but before I get into, you know, the career path, you know, I actually ran into Ed last year at spring training with the Mets, you know?

00:06:01.510 --> 00:06:03.889 Tommy DiMisa: Did you have a… you had a dog down there? You were there at work?

00:06:04.290 --> 00:06:06.490 John Miller: Yeah, so we need to watch.

00:06:06.490 --> 00:06:14.220 Tommy DiMisa: you get to… that's part of your gig. It's a pretty tough life, man. You get to go on tour with dogs for med spring training.

00:06:14.220 --> 00:06:33.020 John Miller: You know, I'll tell you, we do… I'm on the road significantly, you know, it's all good stuff, you know. It's a little bit of a grind at times, right? But the moments we create really are second to none. But, you know, I grew up here on Long Island, you know, my whole life. You know, I live about 5 minutes from, you know, where I grew up, and

00:06:33.020 --> 00:06:38.799 John Miller: you know, even went to college here, went to Hofstra, right? So I got my bachelor's and master's from, you know, Hofstra.

00:06:38.800 --> 00:06:40.120 John Miller: And,

00:06:40.220 --> 00:06:47.790 John Miller: you know, right out of school, you know, I was actually interning at the town of Babylon here on Long Island, and, you know, right out of school.

00:06:48.920 --> 00:07:03.759 John Miller: you know, I went, full-time with the town of Babylon, was there for about 11 years. I served as the housing director, and then as the Public Works Commissioner, for both, initially, you know, Supervisor Rich Schaefer, and then, Supervisor Steve Ballone.

00:07:03.760 --> 00:07:14.240 John Miller: And, you know, from there, you know, I was very perfectly happy to be there, you know, it was a great organization, had worked with great people, but got recruited to,

00:07:14.280 --> 00:07:19.190 John Miller: go be COO of a non-profit college up in Westchester, Mercy College, right?

00:07:19.380 --> 00:07:20.850 John Miller: And,

00:07:21.070 --> 00:07:30.020 John Miller: you know, kind of took me out of, you know, the political world, you know, at the time. But, you know, gave me a very unique, you know.

00:07:30.170 --> 00:07:45.739 John Miller: view of the world, really, you know. Mercy's a non-profit university, you know, basically, you know, has, you know, non-traditional students, meaning adult students who work and are, you know, come for their education at night. They've since, you know, grown significantly.

00:07:45.740 --> 00:07:59.209 John Miller: And then, you know, ultimately, Tommy, I had to make a decision, you know, I was living on Long Island, and, you know, commuting up to Dobbs Ferry, you know, in Westchester every day. Easily, you know, on a good day, it's 2 hours each way, right?

00:07:59.210 --> 00:08:02.660 Tommy DiMisa: You know what, if the Bronx wasn't in the way, it wouldn't be so difficult.

00:08:02.660 --> 00:08:03.180 John Miller: Exactly.

00:08:03.180 --> 00:08:19.670 Tommy DiMisa: I always say, man, the tragedy of this island is, like, if there ever is anything super bad, like, we gotta get off this island, we're in trouble, man. There's not a lot of ways out. I mean, if I got… sometimes we'll head up to the Poconos or something like that, man, you know, or I got family down in Jersey, and…

00:08:19.670 --> 00:08:31.139 Tommy DiMisa: you know, there is no good way to get off the island. You know, you just gotta go, like, early enough and cross your fingers that they're not doing, you know, 4 o'clock in the morning, you know, road work. You know, it's really tough.

00:08:31.140 --> 00:08:41.829 John Miller: It's, it is, and you know, there's traffic everywhere, you know? So, so it was either, you know, moved my family and my, you know, my… so I have two kids, my older son, Anthony, was just born at the time.

00:08:41.980 --> 00:08:50.270 John Miller: And so being on the road, you know, all that time, after, you know, legitimate, you know, real full days working up, you know, at the college, you know.

00:08:50.420 --> 00:09:07.430 John Miller: I wanted to stay on Long Island, we weren't gonna move, you know, my whole life was here, my family, you know, my wife's family, everybody's here, so we're, you know, moving at that point wasn't in the cards, so… I won't give you every, you know, position I ever had, but, you know, that ultimately, you know, led to…

00:09:07.430 --> 00:09:11.290 John Miller: Eventually going to the food bank for New York City. Yeah.

00:09:11.290 --> 00:09:26.610 Tommy DiMisa: Before you do that, I'm interested. So, I love how that happened. You got recruited from, you know, working in a housing director and public works and things like that, so that sort of draw you. So it wasn't, I'm looking to go work in quote-unquote non-profit. It was like this, you know, I'm doing government work, and…

00:09:26.610 --> 00:09:37.839 Tommy DiMisa: while I was going on, before you get to the food bank, I just want to… I wrote this down. Did you, or do you, have political ambitions? Just being connected to that? Again, I mean, I…

00:09:37.840 --> 00:09:52.109 Tommy DiMisa: I'd be lying if people don't ask me the same type of question, so… but I'm curious, because you dropped some names of people you're connected to, and you are somebody who is, you know, a man about town, certainly well-connected and well-thought after, have you, or do you consider that?

00:09:52.480 --> 00:09:57.320 John Miller: Yeah, you know, it's interesting, Tom. I get that question at least, you know, once a day, you know, from people.

00:09:57.390 --> 00:10:04.390 Tommy DiMisa: Yeah, I would say to you, at this point, I'm very happy doing what I'm doing here. Maybe later in my career, we'll take another look at it, you know?

00:10:04.390 --> 00:10:13.059 John Miller: My plan, if I'm being honest with you, my plan was to run for office earlier in my career, but, you know, leaving the town, kind of changed the plan, right?

00:10:13.640 --> 00:10:18.609 John Miller: But at the end of the day, it's not something I'd rule out, but it's not something I'm gonna do anytime soon.

00:10:18.610 --> 00:10:23.439 Tommy DiMisa: Got it, cool, cool. It just was coming off for me, and I said, I'm not gonna spend 30 minutes wondering, I'm just gonna ask the man the question.

00:10:23.440 --> 00:10:26.169 John Miller: I get it every day.

00:10:26.460 --> 00:10:40.719 John Miller: So you get to the food bank. Now we're talking about food insecurity, we're talking about hunger, we're talking about a basic, fundamental need as human beings. We need sustenance, right? What was that like, looking at that, and trying to understand that? Yeah, it was crazy, you know, it was kind of like,

00:10:40.920 --> 00:10:49.050 John Miller: let's call it a two-headed monster, right? You know, there was… we had an office, the main administrative office was on Broadway in Manhattan, right by Wall Street.

00:10:49.050 --> 00:11:02.490 John Miller: And, you know, we did events with the Food Network, celebrity chefs, you know, it was… it was great. But all of that was to support, you know, you know, 60 million pounds of food that the food bank was distributing, you know, across the five boroughs, and we had a…

00:11:02.490 --> 00:11:05.419 John Miller: And they still do have a warehouse at the Hunts Point Market.

00:11:05.420 --> 00:11:14.000 John Miller: you know, in the Bronx, where, you know, food is sourced and donated, you know, to the organization, then it's distributed, you know, through the five boroughs.

00:11:14.000 --> 00:11:39.070 John Miller: You know, to deal with hunger and food insecurity. It was really, you know, it was one of those moments in one of the stops in my career where I said, if we don't get this right, there are real implications here, right? There's consequences to not doing our job well here. And, so it was very, very fulfilling, you know, working with the food bank. We did some of the fancy, you know, New York City Wine and Food Festival type stuff.

00:11:39.590 --> 00:11:43.630 John Miller: But all of that was to serve, you know, the mission and the purpose.

00:11:43.890 --> 00:12:01.939 Tommy DiMisa: Was that really an opportunity? Because it sounds like you talk about the Food Network, so obviously, in my mind, I'm seeing you hang out with, you know, big-time celebrities, air quotes, or real celebrities, or whatever the case may be. Was that an opportunity for you to sort of say, oh, wow, there's a whole angle here of…

00:12:01.940 --> 00:12:16.509 Tommy DiMisa: promotion and really storytelling, because at the end of the day, like you're saying, you know, 60 million pounds of food, you know, I have a friend of mine who owns a produce company up there in Hunts Point. I didn't know that Food Bank was up there, so I'm interested, I'm gonna talk to him about that.

00:12:16.510 --> 00:12:22.829 Tommy DiMisa: They… I love his company, by the way, it's a great story, gang. Check out eRmada. It's… their story is it all… it's like…

00:12:22.830 --> 00:12:44.879 Tommy DiMisa: hundreds of employees now, but it all started with a lemon. The great-grandfather would buy lemons in the streets of New York, and then go up and down with a, you know, a bag, and then… and then a cart, and then et cetera, and then a store, and then it goes on. So it's one of those great stories, kind of those, you know, old-school stories, right? And now they, you know, have a very successful company up there in Hunts Point. That's my buddy Paul Armada. Haven't talked to you, Paul, hope you're well.

00:12:44.880 --> 00:12:55.809 Tommy DiMisa: I just think those stories are so great, but that takes me back to that vision for you. Like, you see all these quote-unquote celebs, the people, you're rubbing elbows. What was that like for you, thinking about.

00:12:55.820 --> 00:13:02.489 Tommy DiMisa: wow, I can really leverage these relationships and connections for the betterment of the mission. Was that the first time you sort of thought about that?

00:13:03.070 --> 00:13:13.830 John Miller: You know, yes, you know, I think you hit it right on the head. You know, having the opportunity to really, you know, be involved in those type of moments, and, you know, the Food and Wine Festival.

00:13:13.830 --> 00:13:24.930 John Miller: you know, really, just for me, started, you know, my journey of becoming a better storyteller, right? And I wasn't very good, and I don't know if I am now or not, but…

00:13:24.930 --> 00:13:49.160 John Miller: You know, it's… but it's something I, you know, focus on. It was something that was noticeable to me, to, you know, be able to go in front of large audiences, whether it's on television or, you know, in events in, you know, in New York City, and tell the story. And it's still, you know, I think it's still something everybody perfects over the course of their career, but it is… to raise the amount of money, so we haven't gotten to the Guide Dog Foundation yet, but we gotta raise about $23 million a year.

00:13:49.160 --> 00:13:51.020 Tommy DiMisa: Every year. 23 million.

00:13:51.020 --> 00:13:51.630 John Miller: Yep.

00:13:51.820 --> 00:13:55.030 John Miller: And, so that's… that's… that's a lot of stories that need.

00:13:55.030 --> 00:14:04.729 Tommy DiMisa: 100%, yeah, yeah, yeah, and some of those checks and donations come in pretty small, so that's a lot of conversations, yeah. How big is the development team before we go back to that?

00:14:04.730 --> 00:14:07.869 John Miller: We're growing, we have two open positions as we're sitting here.

00:14:07.870 --> 00:14:08.369 Tommy DiMisa: Is that right?

00:14:08.370 --> 00:14:10.319 John Miller: I think we're up to 9 right now.

00:14:10.320 --> 00:14:18.709 Tommy DiMisa: Okay, wow, that's a big team, but that's a big number, that 23 million. Yeah, yeah, so we'll get into that. So we're at the food bank. What happens next? What are you doing there? What's that look like?

00:14:18.710 --> 00:14:33.699 John Miller: Yeah, so the food bank, it was great. One of the most fulfilling, you know, roles I've ever had. Part of my role was to, negotiate with the Red Cross, in Manhattan, you know, when there was a large apartment fire, or…

00:14:33.700 --> 00:14:39.190 John Miller: You know, an emergency, right? And you'll provide them food, right? And,

00:14:39.240 --> 00:14:48.769 John Miller: So it turned out the Red Cross had an opening on Long Island, and, you know, a couple people from the organization, the Red Cross, had reached out to me about becoming the CEO of

00:14:48.770 --> 00:15:11.870 John Miller: you know, the Red Cross on Long Island. At the time, it was just Suffolk County. When I took the job, we merged, you know, Nassau, Suffolk, and actually Shelter Island to become one organization, and that ultimately was part of the Greater New York region of the American Red Cross. And I don't know if I have good timing or bad timing, but, you know, at the food bank, you know, I was there during the Great Recession, right?

00:15:11.900 --> 00:15:31.530 John Miller: And the, the Red Cross had Hurricane Irene and Superstorm Sandy. Nice. So, pretty significant events where we had to, work. And you talk about, you know, the power of the media. I mean, we were doing something, you know, we were doing press conferences almost daily at that point, you know, during, you know, Superstorm Sandy, and

00:15:31.570 --> 00:15:41.149 John Miller: you know, looking at it, you know, the Red Cross is a great organization. I'm still in touch with many of, you know, the folks here on Long Island, as well as, you know, nationally.

00:15:41.150 --> 00:15:54.369 John Miller: Yeah, I think the one thing, if I'm looking at this from professional development, I talk with my team about this all the time when we're trying to do something here like this, you know, the Red Cross has a very well-resourced leadership development program, right?

00:15:54.370 --> 00:16:01.529 John Miller: Where they pick, you know, between 20 and 25, executives from across the country to really,

00:16:01.910 --> 00:16:08.520 John Miller: put the time, effort, and resources into storytelling, to understanding, you know, the business, right? The business of…

00:16:08.630 --> 00:16:21.569 John Miller: you know, the organization. And, you know, I'm probably here today because I went through that program, and it was called the LEAD program, and they've, you know, the Red Cross was great to me. It was a great organization. You know, one of my…

00:16:21.570 --> 00:16:31.009 John Miller: bosses at the Red Cross. It was really, you know, before we even were talking about storytelling, you know, he encouraged me to, you know, work on storytelling a little.

00:16:31.010 --> 00:16:31.580 Tommy DiMisa: Is that right.

00:16:31.750 --> 00:16:38.909 John Miller: And, you know, and I've been doing it since, and, you know, the Red Cross, you know, tremendous organization.

00:16:39.070 --> 00:16:52.009 Tommy DiMisa: Yeah, I love that. You know, you and I had a quick discussion before the show, but we… I didn't even bring up the topic of storytelling. That's naturally you and I, and that's where I like how we end up on that theme, and really go there, because that's the whole thing, man. That's what it is, like…

00:16:52.010 --> 00:17:01.810 Tommy DiMisa: Listen, I've been a sales professional my whole life, Vanguard Benefits, I think we got a great story to tell, and I hang out with nonprofits all day that are telling incredible stories, right? So I think that's…

00:17:01.830 --> 00:17:21.130 Tommy DiMisa: you know, I got a, like, little hint for the folks in development. You're in sales. In case you guys didn't know, guys and gals, in case you didn't know, you know, I actually emceed the, the AFPLI event last year, Philanthropy Day, and I saw you a couple weeks ago when you were on the panel this year. My buddy Prashant Gupta did a great job emceeing this year.

00:17:21.130 --> 00:17:43.170 Tommy DiMisa: And it's just like, I love my fundraising people. Like, I love my fundraising people, man. They're the ones who make it happen, man. Yeah, obviously, programs, all about programs, right? But we gotta bring in that $23 million in the case of what you're talking about. We gotta bring in those dollars to do the programs, right? So, and we can all work together, hand in hand. It's like sales and service, or sales and operations in a for-profit. It's the same thing, man.

00:17:43.170 --> 00:17:51.839 Tommy DiMisa: John Miller, I'm glad you're here. We're gonna take a quick break. This is back to what we always do it, 2 minutes late for a break. That's the Tommy D style. We will be right back.

00:19:31.870 --> 00:19:55.529 Tommy DiMisa: Listen, that's, you know, I can't help myself. I'm sharing the website for America's Vet Dogs while we're at break, and I can't help myself. I end up on the shop page, because I'm… I'm like, dude, Tommy D, you do not have a hoodie from America's Vet Dogs or Guide Dog Foundation, so I… I already got my eyes on a couple hoodies, I'll deal with that later on. I gotta get back, we're doing a live show, Tommy D.

00:19:55.530 --> 00:20:02.840 Tommy DiMisa: But there are some hoodies, there's some swag. So, again, the Long Island Music and Entertainment ones.

00:20:02.840 --> 00:20:11.129 Tommy DiMisa: Long Island rocks, that's cool. I said, I was hanging out with one of my cousins, like, at a wedding, and I, you know, after the wedding, I put on the hoodie, I'm walking, and

00:20:11.130 --> 00:20:29.020 Tommy DiMisa: my cousin grew up on Long Island, so she don't live here anymore, but she goes, wow, Tommy D, you know, that shirt's a little bit aggressive. I'm like, you're from Long Island, you know how it is, man. You know, it's a play on words, everybody. Yes, we rock, but we also rock, if you know what I'm talking about. John Miller. So, we talked about some of the journey so far.

00:20:29.320 --> 00:20:47.090 Tommy DiMisa: I know after the Red Cross, and I know you, you know, we have some folks in common that we talked about, and I, you know, actually, I sort of knew about you through some people before you and I actually met, but I think, really, if I look back and try and figure it out, I think the time you and I first connected was when you were at Tourette Association of America, because

00:20:47.090 --> 00:20:57.690 Tommy DiMisa: I had become friendly through some different connections with, Amanda Talty, and that's, I think, I was hanging around at Tourette or something, and you and I met briefly way back then, a bunch of years ago.

00:20:57.690 --> 00:21:02.919 Tommy DiMisa: Let's talk about that work and what you did there, because again, another organization with national reach.

00:21:02.920 --> 00:21:12.689 John Miller: Yeah. Yeah, so my goal with the Red Cross was to be, you know, a national CEO. That would be the only reason I would have left the Red Cross, was to take on a job, you know, nationally.

00:21:12.690 --> 00:21:13.180 Tommy DiMisa: out.

00:21:13.180 --> 00:21:17.779 John Miller: You know, while the Red Cross is, you know, a national, really global organization, you know, my…

00:21:17.780 --> 00:21:20.739 Tommy DiMisa: You were running, like, a local chapter, correct?

00:21:20.740 --> 00:21:23.700 John Miller: Exactly, yeah, Long Island. And,

00:21:23.980 --> 00:21:47.259 John Miller: So this opportunity… I wasn't looking for the opportunity. You know, once again, you know, a recruiter had reached out, and the timing just had… had been right. Tourette, you know, the Tourette Association of America does great work, right? And they do a lot of medical research, right? They have centers of excellence across the country. Some of the biggest, you know, medical schools you'll ever hear of, you know, UCLA, and, you know, Northwell, and, you know…

00:21:47.410 --> 00:22:02.119 John Miller: everywhere in between. You know, I don't know how many centers of excellence they have now, but the program is growing and, you know, does great. And, you know, Tourette syndrome is very misunderstood, right? And it's very stigmatized, and so we did a lot of work on trying to,

00:22:02.540 --> 00:22:14.410 John Miller: you know, undo that, right? And working with, you know, our team, they did a great job there, and learned a lot, you know, during the Tourette. Learned a lot about, you know.

00:22:14.410 --> 00:22:23.879 John Miller: the science behind, you know, and the neurological, you know, conditions that are out there. And, you know, generally there's a lot of co-occurring conditions, right?

00:22:23.880 --> 00:22:24.470 Tommy DiMisa: Yep.

00:22:24.680 --> 00:22:35.250 John Miller: And so that was a major learning experience for me, because I've never been, you know, in the medical world or, you know, the neurological field at all until that time, and learned a great deal.

00:22:35.450 --> 00:22:57.779 Tommy DiMisa: So let me talk about that, because, first of all, you know, I'm all about ending stigmas, and, you know, I think there's… and I don't know, I can't even be too deep into this conversation, just from my own lack of knowledge on it, but, you know, I think there's… people think they know what Tourette is, but it's so much more than that. There's so many different, challenges that folks are going through. It's not just what people might think it is, right? So there's… there's a lot there.

00:22:57.780 --> 00:23:00.159 Tommy DiMisa: So I wanna ask you, so…

00:23:00.260 --> 00:23:23.949 Tommy DiMisa: having… or rather, not having that medical background, you know, as a clinician or really otherwise, was that something we said, well, there's an awesome challenge, or are we also, like, a little… maybe I… you know, I gotta kind of figure out, is this the right fit? What is that… I'd love to hear about that kind of vulnerability with folks, because when we're all making decisions, we have to play these things out. You know, it's not… the answers aren't there. We don't know what the future's gonna look like.

00:23:24.420 --> 00:23:35.279 John Miller: Yeah, and I think it's a little bit of both the things you just said, right? You know, we had, you know, I certainly did a lot of research on the front end of it, you know, I think it was, you know, certainly, I don't remember if it was the first day or the first week.

00:23:35.280 --> 00:23:53.699 John Miller: But, you know, it was a national convention down in Washington, and, you know, I was speaking, you know, to the Tourette community, including, you know, neurologists and doctors and families and, you know, people who work in the pharmaceutical industry. So I wanted to go into that meeting prepared, so I did a whole bunch of homework on the front end.

00:23:53.700 --> 00:24:05.850 John Miller: But, you know, it's different, you know, when you… going back to storytelling, it's gonna be a theme here, you know, when you hear the stories that families go through, right, that's the best way to learn what you're dealing with, right? And,

00:24:05.950 --> 00:24:09.879 John Miller: Yeah, we did… we did a lot of good work at Tourette, and they're still doing great work today.

00:24:09.880 --> 00:24:19.310 Tommy DiMisa: Yeah, yeah, and it's like, isn't it interesting, like, you know, just being a father, you know, you and I both being fathers, you know, you think in terms of.

00:24:19.890 --> 00:24:36.349 Tommy DiMisa: I have this quote, which maybe you've heard me say it, I say it everywhere, but, you know, everyone we meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about. Be kind, always, and I'm about that, I'm about compassion and love, and can I do it 100% of the time? No, I'm doing the best I can, I'm just another guy like everybody else, right? But I think if we can…

00:24:36.350 --> 00:24:46.099 Tommy DiMisa: have that sort of mantra playing in the background, or in the front, we can get better things going. In that case, I think being a dad, I find

00:24:46.120 --> 00:25:06.380 Tommy DiMisa: as challenging as it might be, and now I have, as of last Friday, 3 teenagers, instead of just 2, as I had a couple weeks back, and one who's not a teenager yet, so that's what we're dealing with. He'll be a teen… I was trying to figure out the math. I think I will not have a teenager, and then I'll have 3 teenagers again. Like, it'll be like… I'm not gonna ever have 4 teenagers, I think I figured out the math.

00:25:06.410 --> 00:25:11.390 Tommy DiMisa: At the same time. As difficult as some days are, man.

00:25:11.840 --> 00:25:23.950 Tommy DiMisa: there's some families that are going through some really challenging things, man, and I say it all the time, I mean, you know, we're not in… we're not in cancer ward, man. I just got asked to be an honoree of Blood Cancer United for their visionary, award next year.

00:25:23.950 --> 00:25:32.100 Tommy DiMisa: And, you know, and I'm excited about that. And it's… it used to be LLS, Leukemia Lymphoma Society, here in Long Island, and… well…

00:25:32.100 --> 00:25:47.280 Tommy DiMisa: Used to be the Community Lymphoma Society, and now it's Blood Cancer United, but I'm gonna be part of the Visionary program going into 26 next year, and I'm excited about that, and I'm grateful for a lot of things that I have in my life, John, and I think that's just, you know, some of our experiences in life, if we can…

00:25:47.650 --> 00:26:02.170 Tommy DiMisa: see through that lens of gratitude, and go, I'm… I have this life, and this is what I have, and other people have more challenges, and maybe I have more challenges, whatever that is, and try to just be grateful. Right? What do you think about gratitude, John?

00:26:02.170 --> 00:26:17.490 John Miller: No, I think you're right. You know, it's very easy to get caught up in your day-to-day life, and the stresses, and the distractions, and, you know, having to raise money, and having to do, you know, the things that you gotta do on a daily basis. It's never a bad idea to be nice.

00:26:17.490 --> 00:26:23.720 Tommy DiMisa: Yeah, yeah, man, actually, I love that. Is that a John Miller right there? It's never a bad idea to be nice?

00:26:23.720 --> 00:26:24.070 John Miller: Yes.

00:26:24.070 --> 00:26:27.660 Tommy DiMisa: That's a great quote, man. I'm gonna quote you now. We'll quote that.

00:26:28.150 --> 00:26:35.320 Tommy DiMisa: Well, we put this out in the internet, man, we're gonna give you, you know, shout-out, John Miller quote. I love that. It's never a bad idea to be nice, yeah, because you can't, you know…

00:26:35.540 --> 00:26:53.250 Tommy DiMisa: you can't lose that way, I think. I think… I think that's a good thing. So, I want to get into… how do you end up at these organizations? I can't say this organization. I got a million questions about how you're running two organizations at the same time, which I want to get into, but what was that… is that our next step from.

00:26:53.250 --> 00:26:53.670 John Miller: Correct.

00:26:53.670 --> 00:26:54.250 Tommy DiMisa: To hear.

00:26:54.340 --> 00:26:55.210 John Miller: Different threats.

00:26:55.210 --> 00:26:56.110 Tommy DiMisa: So what happens.

00:26:56.110 --> 00:27:14.230 John Miller: So, yeah, so, you know, once again, you know, a search firm that I, you know, had worked with previously got to search here. You know, they called me in towards the end of the search, actually. The search was going on for some time, from what I understand. But, you know, once I understood the scope of it, right, you know, we were doing a lot of good work at Tourette, and

00:27:14.400 --> 00:27:17.419 John Miller: So they had to, like, really kind of sell me on it?

00:27:17.420 --> 00:27:20.960 Tommy DiMisa: You weren't ready. It wasn't the timing. You were good where you were, yeah.

00:27:20.960 --> 00:27:23.949 John Miller: We just went through a lot, I just brought in a whole new team there.

00:27:23.950 --> 00:27:24.300 Tommy DiMisa: Yeah.

00:27:24.300 --> 00:27:26.590 John Miller: We were just getting up to breathe, you know?

00:27:26.590 --> 00:27:32.959 Tommy DiMisa: So this had to be a real winner for you to make a move, because you were just in the peak of doing some stuff there.

00:27:33.020 --> 00:27:48.779 John Miller: Exactly. And, so both of my grandparents were World War II vets, right? Both of them identified, or at least I identified them as injured soldiers. That's how I knew them, right? You know, they were always at the VA and always, you know, had issues.

00:27:48.780 --> 00:27:55.319 John Miller: And once I got to learn about, you know, Guide Dog Foundation and America's Vet Dogs, it was a very easy decision.

00:27:56.930 --> 00:28:16.569 John Miller: you know, looking at it, you know, it's… and I didn't know of the organization prior, and I live 20 minutes away, you know, my whole life, so I thought I could look at this as a room to grow. And what they were looking for, what the board was looking for, was to really, you know, be put on the map nationally, right? And,

00:28:16.770 --> 00:28:24.529 John Miller: you know, expand our services and really work, you know, to make sure that everybody knows we're here, right? And…

00:28:24.780 --> 00:28:37.560 John Miller: you know, so, took the job, it was March of 2018, so this March will be, you know, 8 years, right? Which, you know, I don't think, you know, based on all my other stops, I don't think anybody saw 8 years coming, you know, but…

00:28:37.560 --> 00:28:38.410 Tommy DiMisa: Yeah, sure.

00:28:38.600 --> 00:28:47.280 John Miller: It's a… it's been a great 8 years. We've done so much, Tommy, it's unbelievable. We've almost tripled the organization, tripled the size of the organization.

00:28:47.280 --> 00:28:52.719 Tommy DiMisa: So we're talking from a budget perspective, as in associates, employees, that sort of thing as well?

00:28:52.720 --> 00:29:05.280 John Miller: Yeah, it's kind of all of the above, you know, like the net assets, you know, the demand for service. You know, we've hired… we have about 170, 175 employees at this point. I think that's 41 or 42 more.

00:29:06.140 --> 00:29:06.789 John Miller: You know, I started?

00:29:07.640 --> 00:29:13.829 John Miller: And we probably need more. You know, it's, you know, we're just continuing, you know, to grow the organization.

00:29:13.830 --> 00:29:27.910 John Miller: And, you know, it's a real exciting time for us, but, you know, when I first got here, we had a relationship with the Today Show, you know, that was going great. And then, unfortunately, President Bush, you know, was ill.

00:29:27.910 --> 00:29:43.560 John Miller: and needed, his team reached out to us for a service talk. And, you know, we had the opportunity to work with President George H.W. Bush, and, provided his service talk, Sully, shortly after Mrs. Bush, Barbara Bush, passed away. And it, you know, from there…

00:29:43.560 --> 00:29:46.449 Tommy DiMisa: We're talking about national. That… that's how… what year was that?

00:29:46.450 --> 00:29:47.940 John Miller: It was… that was 2018.

00:29:47.940 --> 00:30:06.099 Tommy DiMisa: Okay, so this is the beginning of the John Miller regime, my words, not John. Not John's words, gang, I said it. No, the beginning of you becoming part of the organization. The organization, you say the board is looking for you to really take it national, and I don't know a bigger way to get national than

00:30:06.100 --> 00:30:16.559 Tommy DiMisa: sorting out the, the president with a dog. That's kind of a big deal. Yeah. So, what was that dog, Sully? Is there… I know all these names are important. Any connection to Sully Sullenberger, or not?

00:30:16.790 --> 00:30:35.469 John Miller: Yeah, so it's, so we have a group here on Long Island called the Friends of America's Vet Dogs, and they, raise money to name dogs, right? So you can name a dog here, with the $6,000 donation, and they, they've named a number of dogs, and, one of the dogs they picked was, you know, Sully's, you know, Sully for Sully Sullenberger.

00:30:35.470 --> 00:30:36.220 Tommy DiMisa: I love that.

00:30:36.220 --> 00:30:51.989 John Miller: And, you know, we actually, you know, going back to our talk about the Today Show and the relationship that existed when I got here, we actually had the opportunity on the Today Show with Jenna Bush to introduce, Sully the service dog to Sully the pilot, you know, live on the Today Show.

00:30:52.410 --> 00:30:53.150 John Miller: So…

00:30:53.150 --> 00:31:00.849 Tommy DiMisa: Talk about connections, John Miller, you know? I mean, that's, that Today Show connection and thing, that's awesome, man, you know? I…

00:31:00.860 --> 00:31:16.759 Tommy DiMisa: I see those opportunities as, again, a national reach, national scope. That's exciting. That Sully Sullenberger story is a great story. Gang, if you don't know that story, I can't help you right now during the show, but Google Sully Sullenberger, you know, Miracle on the Hudson, I believe. It was, like, that whole thing.

00:31:16.760 --> 00:31:36.590 Tommy DiMisa: Yeah, I mean, unbelievable story, just really, really special. We're gonna take a quick break. Now, we are into the time of talking about these organizations. So, we're on the America Vet Dog side, but I don't really understand, and neither does anybody else, I would imagine, that there are these two organizations acting in tandem. So, before we go to break, I'm gonna ask you a question.

00:31:36.590 --> 00:31:43.019 Tommy DiMisa: When the board made the decision and said, John Miller, you are our guy, let's do it,

00:31:43.270 --> 00:31:52.089 Tommy DiMisa: did they… did they hand you two sets of keys? Did they hand you two boards of directors? Was it two boards of directors, and how did that work? Just a quick yes or no, and then we'll go back.

00:31:52.090 --> 00:31:57.180 John Miller: So it's… there's two organizations, there's one managerial infrastructure for the two.

00:31:57.180 --> 00:32:14.090 Tommy DiMisa: Got it. Oh, okay, cool. So it's almost like two org… a hierarchy, like, up here, and then there. Got it. Okay, cool. Alright, we'll talk all about that when we come back. John Miller, I'm so glad you're here. This is, like, years in the making. I'm fired up that I'm here, man. We will be right back. Philanthropy and Focus.

00:33:53.340 --> 00:34:11.679 Tommy DiMisa: through all the static, joined Tommy in my attic, but don't actually show up at my house, I'm probably not even gonna be here, but that's the story. In the attic, baby. Alright, so I was just looking at the website for the couple of the organisms, or both of the organizations, but I had… have you ever heard of this organization called the Good Dog Foundation?

00:34:12.130 --> 00:34:12.849 John Miller: I have that.

00:34:12.850 --> 00:34:22.450 Tommy DiMisa: Alright, I just… they just kinda came up on my radar, and they actually work with, dogs to help them become trained as

00:34:22.449 --> 00:34:33.259 Tommy DiMisa: Like, I could get my guy Cheeto, which I'm interested in doing, having Cheeto trained as, like, a service dog, and then I can take him out into the community and do cool things, and maybe bring him to senior citizen living facilities, or…

00:34:33.260 --> 00:34:42.530 Tommy DiMisa: I don't know, maybe schools, or different things like that. So, we… again, a whole other part of my world is a company called Pals Media Group, where we are, we…

00:34:42.620 --> 00:34:52.280 Tommy DiMisa: run the Professionals and Animal Lovers Society, and we run, PALS, the show, the Professionals and Animal Lovers Show. That's my partner, Valerie Heffron, my business partner in that.

00:34:52.280 --> 00:35:08.929 Tommy DiMisa: in those ventures, and she and I, and we started that show back in 2001, and really built great momentum. And that's actually how I got my guy, Cheeto. He's adopted. He was… he's a rescue puppy, he's awesome, he's downstairs right now. I'm trying to not let him hear me, because then he's going to want to come up to the attic.

00:35:08.950 --> 00:35:24.809 Tommy DiMisa: And then he's gonna start barking and the whole thing. So, I love the dog situation, John. Was that… are you an animal person by nature? Like, was there also that draw? Like, not that that was gonna say, I'm gonna leave Tourette because it's with dogs, but are you somebody who loves the animals, too?

00:35:24.950 --> 00:35:33.330 John Miller: Yeah, absolutely. I grew up with, you know, a golden retriever, Daisy, right, in my house. You know, ironically, though, Tommy, you know, both my kids are scared to death of.

00:35:33.330 --> 00:35:33.800 Tommy DiMisa: are they?

00:35:33.800 --> 00:35:45.559 John Miller: You know, they got chased at a very young age and, like, pinned against the fence on a soccer field, and we had them at an event here the other day, and they're starting to warm up to it.

00:35:45.560 --> 00:35:45.900 Tommy DiMisa: Yes.

00:35:45.900 --> 00:35:51.129 John Miller: Still, it's almost 8 to 10 years later, and it's.

00:35:51.130 --> 00:36:10.530 Tommy DiMisa: I have a friend of mine, I have a friend of mine, I know he's listening, I'm not gonna call him out by name, but he's… he's in his 70s, and he doesn't like dogs for a similar type incident all of his life, many, many years ago. So it's just like, it's that sort of thing, like, that stays with you, you know? My cousin Linda, she passed many years ago, Lindy Liu Foundation. Linda was…

00:36:10.530 --> 00:36:27.020 Tommy DiMisa: just deathly afraid of dogs, and the tiniest of dogs, too. It wasn't, like, a big thing. But you had Daisy, so you were not afraid of dogs by any means, and as you… as you went into the opportunity, how much access… we're gonna go into all the technical stuff, I promise, but how much access do you get to hang out with dogs? That's what I want to know.

00:36:27.020 --> 00:36:44.299 John Miller: Every day. You know, there's a dog up here every day, you know, whether it's a staff member or a volunteer, you know, who's helping to raise the dogs, you know. We have no lack of dogs here on a daily basis. It's a great… and it's a great environment. You can just, you know, every time a dog walks in the room, so, you know, the mood changes, you know?

00:36:44.300 --> 00:36:52.130 Tommy DiMisa: It certainly does. Yeah, yeah, I know that, for sure. I'm on the board of HorseAbility, and talk about, you know, the mood changing. Whenever I go out to the farm,

00:36:52.810 --> 00:37:10.789 Tommy DiMisa: my mood changes. I feel like my blood pressure going down. I feel calmer being around these animals, I really do, and dogs can do certainly the same. Horses at a way other level, but, you know, dogs for sure. So let's talk about this. You're there now. You take on this role, you know, going on 8 years ago now.

00:37:10.790 --> 00:37:24.620 Tommy DiMisa: And you've tripled, up to this point the size of the organization, but, like, those early days, what did you see? I wrote down professional development and, you know, that program you had at the Red Cross that you thought, and not, you know, that you thought was so…

00:37:24.660 --> 00:37:43.930 Tommy DiMisa: influential in your growth, and I take it as… as a leader, you see PD, professional development, critically important. You know, maybe somebody's in this role now, but where do they want to go? Where do they want to get to? How do we support them? Was that already in the culture at your organizations, or did that have to be added in? Talk to me about that.

00:37:44.530 --> 00:38:02.859 John Miller: Yeah, we added it in when I got here. You know, we have, we work with a firm called One Purpose Performance, who does a lot of, you know, like, the personality typing, and how to get along with your boss, and, you know, the basic stuff, right? And, like, how to best communicate with me, and how should I communicate with you, right? I love that.

00:38:02.860 --> 00:38:27.819 John Miller: that is, you know, filtered in now over, you know, the 8 years almost, to, you know, executive coaching for certain members of the staff. And what we're really doing now, we're just on the front end of it, we expect that we'll have an announcement, you know, for the staff here next year, is really doing the career path planning for people, right? And, you know, the jobs here, you know, it's easier to find a CEO than it is, you know.

00:38:27.820 --> 00:38:42.189 John Miller: certified, you know, dog trainer, you know? Sure, yeah. And, so we gotta focus on building our people, right? And, you know, the high cost of living on Long Island is not helpful, right? Not at all. And, but at the end of the day, you know, we're…

00:38:42.240 --> 00:38:47.499 John Miller: we invest in our people, and we're going to continue to invest in our people. It's critical for the mission, there's no question.

00:38:47.500 --> 00:38:55.689 Tommy DiMisa: Yeah, I love hearing that, John, and you know, I very rarely spin into conversations around our company, Vanguard Benefits, but we just announced the first four.

00:38:55.770 --> 00:39:07.849 Tommy DiMisa: Hall of Fame, Vanguard Benefits Hall of Fame employers, recently. Just the con… we need to have a conversation. You, Ed Probst, and I. Shout out to Travis Carey, by the way. Travis is a buddy. I know he's doing great work with you guys.

00:39:07.850 --> 00:39:22.430 Tommy DiMisa: We should have a conversation and do an analysis about your organizations being, Hall of Fame employers, because just what you're talking about is what it is. It's about bettering people, growing people, career pathing, and adding in, you know, those strategic.

00:39:22.430 --> 00:39:36.890 Tommy DiMisa: benefit options for people, you know? Whether our clients, whether a Hall of Famers are our client or not, that's not the thing. It's about, are they doing the right thing by their people? Really thinking about being an employer of choice or a Hall of Fame employer, so I'll follow up with you on that, because I'd love to get you guys to…

00:39:36.950 --> 00:39:52.680 Tommy DiMisa: To discuss that with us. So, you're there now, and you get there, you're setting things up, you're looking around. What was it that you said, alright, what am I, what do I have here? And what do I need to do here? And while we're doing that, let's weave in programs and all that kind of stuff.

00:39:52.680 --> 00:40:10.249 John Miller: So yeah, I think to just simplify it, yeah, the organization was in a great spot, right? It was not… it wasn't, like, a turnaround situation, it wasn't, you know, coming in on a scandal or anything like that. It was, you know, I… you know, cliche, but this was a good-to-great exercise, right?

00:40:10.250 --> 00:40:10.700 Tommy DiMisa: Yep.

00:40:10.700 --> 00:40:28.350 John Miller: And I think if I bring anything to the table, it's thinking bigger, right? You know, we, you know, the thought that, A, we're never going to be afraid or ashamed to tell our story, right? B, you know, we belong at every major corporate table in the country.

00:40:28.350 --> 00:40:31.890 John Miller: We belong in the White House, we belong, you know, at Congress.

00:40:31.890 --> 00:40:46.279 John Miller: And, you know, that's kind of how we've developed this over the last, you know, couple years. But, you know, very simply, and I said this the other day at the AFP, you know, meeting, you gotta go for it, right? We're not gonna be afraid here, right? Not everything's gonna work, but, you know.

00:40:46.280 --> 00:41:04.610 John Miller: the better job we do, the more veterans, the more people with disabilities we're able, you know, to serve. And I think it's important, too. It's very easy, Tommy, you know, to fall into the trap. Okay, where are we with the numbers? You know, I track it on a daily basis, almost. That's probably not healthy, I wouldn't recommend it to your…

00:41:04.610 --> 00:41:21.510 Tommy DiMisa: Listen, man, I can't do an event without checking the Eventbrite hourly to see how many people. So, I'm a sales guy, man, it makes all the sense in the world to me, you know? Like, numbers, numbers, what do we got? You know, is it healthy? I don't know, man. Did it get you to 23 million? Is it gonna get you there? Then it works, you know?

00:41:21.510 --> 00:41:37.839 John Miller: Good point. Good point. But, yeah, so it's the thinking bigger mentality, right? You know, and it's taking those, you know, looking at the pieces, and we have a lot of pieces across the country. We have people in all 50 states, right? Whether it's graduates, volunteers, you know, employees.

00:41:37.840 --> 00:41:40.790 Tommy DiMisa: What's that look like? You have pieces everywhere. What's that… what's going on there?

00:41:40.790 --> 00:41:54.000 John Miller: So here is our… our physical plant is here on Long Island, where I'm talking to you from today, in Smithtown, and it's our only physical plant. So, probably about 135 of the 175 people we have are operating out of this location.

00:41:54.120 --> 00:42:00.939 John Miller: And the other folks work remotely across the country. And, you know, they do, training, they do…

00:42:00.940 --> 00:42:14.880 John Miller: you know, graduate support, you know, and everything we do, Tommy, is free, right? So every… every time we add an expense or give somebody a raise, you know, that 23 million number… Yeah, you gotta go find it. Whatever, whatever, you know, it takes to…

00:42:14.880 --> 00:42:17.159 Tommy DiMisa: Is anyone, any,

00:42:17.670 --> 00:42:24.369 Tommy DiMisa: how dare I use the word federal money right now, but any federal, any state, local, that you got dollars from there?

00:42:24.370 --> 00:42:39.059 John Miller: No state, no local money. We have one grant that was just eliminated. It's called the Wounded Warrior Service Dog Program. We received, at its peak, about a million dollars a year. But other than that grant, every dollar we…

00:42:39.060 --> 00:42:40.180 Tommy DiMisa: All philanthropy?

00:42:40.180 --> 00:42:41.260 John Miller: Fundraised, yep.

00:42:41.260 --> 00:42:51.670 Tommy DiMisa: That's awesome. So, I'm doing some work, John, which I don't think you and I talked about, but I'm doing some work with an organization called Sattel Institute. I haven't connected you yet with Paul Howard. You're gonna have to meet him.

00:42:51.670 --> 00:43:05.030 Tommy DiMisa: Next Tuesday, we're doing something at the Long Island Children's Museum. I'm not gonna put you on the spot now, but offline, I'll send you the information. But we're hosting an event about corporate social responsibility, a panel discussion. So, Sattel Institute is a…

00:43:05.030 --> 00:43:24.320 Tommy DiMisa: Fully funded, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that is all about corporate social responsibility, and for-profit businesses become a member of Sattel Institute to convene, to collaborate, and discuss CSR, corporate social responsibility, but when they become a member, they also bring along a nonprofit organization as a member.

00:43:24.320 --> 00:43:34.240 Tommy DiMisa: I think it's, like, right aligned. If you're telling me your organization's raising $23 million just through philanthropy, sponsorships, connections, you know, relationships, obviously.

00:43:34.240 --> 00:43:43.989 Tommy DiMisa: dollars and coins add up to millions of dollars, right? So that's a big part of it. So I want to get you connected to what we're doing, Sattel Institute, specifically on Long Island. I think it's right in your wheelhouse.

00:43:43.990 --> 00:44:07.390 Tommy DiMisa: So we're gonna take a quick break. When we come back from a break, what I want to do is, let's dive into, you know, programs, what it looks like. I need a dog, right? I'm visually impaired, or I have another disability, I need a dog, I need support there. Or, you know, when we talk about our veterans, which you and I, neither one of us have the time to go into how much our veterans are underserved, in my opinion. One man's opinion, okay, gang?

00:44:07.390 --> 00:44:13.969 Tommy DiMisa: One man's opinion, and I am not a veteran. I appreciate the work every veteran has done for us on this country.

00:44:14.000 --> 00:44:20.839 Tommy DiMisa: And… I meet a lot of veterans and veteran organizations, and I've learned over the years how

00:44:20.860 --> 00:44:40.830 Tommy DiMisa: folks are really battling. It goes back to my everybody's battling something, right? And I'm just so grateful for your organization serving our veterans, John, and we'll talk more about that. So, if somebody's a veteran and they need a dog, or somebody's a family member of a veteran and says, look, you know, my brother, my father, my sister, my mother would benefit from having an animal.

00:44:40.830 --> 00:44:54.259 Tommy DiMisa: I want to know what that looks like. So let's go down that roadmap, sort of how that happens. You get contacted, what the intake is, what the analysis is. And then I know there's this whole other thing, because I was at a graduation for Canine Companions, not one of your organizations, but another…

00:44:54.260 --> 00:44:57.660 Tommy DiMisa: dog-related organization, and I was at the graduation. So…

00:44:57.660 --> 00:45:08.879 Tommy DiMisa: a family takes in the… adopts, or fosters, excuse me, fosters the dog, right? I'm assuming it's a kind of a similar model here, and then they bring the dog to the recipient. Dude.

00:45:08.880 --> 00:45:24.110 Tommy DiMisa: Not to… nobody thought I was the toughest guy in the neighborhood to begin with, but I would tell you I'm crying watching these… the dogs move from the foster family over to the eventual recipient. So, I want to talk about that when we come back, talk about what's upcoming for the organization, how we can help. How's that sound?

00:45:24.240 --> 00:45:24.920 John Miller: That's great.

00:45:24.920 --> 00:45:28.770 Tommy DiMisa: Alright, we'll be right back. John Miller, Tommy D, Philanthropy in Focus. Right back.

00:46:57.460 --> 00:47:10.619 Tommy DiMisa: John Miller. Alright, I just thought of a question for you, and did I hear you say that if somebody gave you a check for $6,000, there could be a dog named Tommy D out there on Long Island that goes to somebody who needs it?

00:47:10.620 --> 00:47:11.320 John Miller: Yes.

00:47:11.320 --> 00:47:18.069 Tommy DiMisa: We… we need to talk about that. I see a cool promotion, and we did that,

00:47:18.070 --> 00:47:31.590 Tommy DiMisa: you know, I'm hanging out with the other Tommy D, and maybe I come in, you know, when they're giving Tommy D. I think I… do I have ego problems? No, because Tommy D's not really me, it's just a caricature of me. I'm really some little quiet guy in the corner.

00:47:31.590 --> 00:47:36.990 John Miller: Yeah, it's a great program. You know, it's, for $6,000, you can sponsor and name it all.

00:47:36.990 --> 00:47:46.980 Tommy DiMisa: I love that, I love that. Now, $6,000 isn't gonna cover it, I just was looking on the website. That's… what does it cost? So, let's go back to that. You get an application, and your team processing that application, what does that look like?

00:47:47.040 --> 00:47:59.810 John Miller: Yeah, so it's a very thorough process, right? We're trying to make it as easy as possible, but there is some information we need, right? So you can either go to GuideDog.org or VetDogs.org. One of the first things you're going to see is, you know, apply, right?

00:47:59.810 --> 00:48:07.700 John Miller: And, you know, so for a guide dog, you know, you have to be legally blind or have low vision, right? And for a service dog,

00:48:07.700 --> 00:48:30.729 John Miller: we'd have to talk to your doctor about you training the dog to mitigate a disability, right? And training a dog for tasks. Okay. So, I'll give you kind of, like, the life cycle here. So it all starts, you know, with, you know, with the website, and then one of our people call and do an interview. The key to this whole process, the success of the whole process, Tommy, is the matching process, right? So we need to learn a little bit

00:48:31.110 --> 00:48:37.770 John Miller: actually a lot about the lifestyle that the potential recipient will have, right? And I'll give you a couple

00:48:37.980 --> 00:48:57.160 John Miller: example. So, when we gave Sully to President Bush, you know, the president was in 94 in a wheelchair at the time, and we needed a very certain type of dog, and it was also going to be located up in the, you know, the Bush family, you know, compound in Kenny Bunkcourt, Maine, where there was other dogs. So we needed a real kind of, like, chill dog that was…

00:48:57.580 --> 00:49:10.480 John Miller: gonna, you know, be crazy, right? Yeah. You know, as opposed to a gentleman who's on Capitol Hill with me all the time when we're doing advocacy work, who is a competitive bodybuilder, you know, 6'3", amputee. Yeah.

00:49:10.520 --> 00:49:22.399 John Miller: leads a very different lifestyle, so… He needs a different personality, dog, right? Exactly. Different size, different temperament, right? Different energy level, and so if we would have made those matches the other way, they both would have failed.

00:49:22.400 --> 00:49:22.760 Tommy DiMisa: Yes.

00:49:22.760 --> 00:49:30.359 John Miller: So we take a lot of time and effort to understand what the potential recipient is going to get. So I'll give you the life cycle.

00:49:30.580 --> 00:49:39.180 John Miller: you know, we breed the dogs here, right, on Long Island. We have the capacity, if everything goes right, to breed about 400 a year, and everything doesn't always go right.

00:49:39.180 --> 00:49:39.830 Tommy DiMisa: Yeah.

00:49:40.900 --> 00:50:02.240 John Miller: And so, the dogs are with us for the first 8 weeks of their life, right? And then they go one of two tracks. Track one is what you were referring to earlier. It's a volunteer puppy raiser, right, who will have the dog for about a year. Track two is we work with 14 prisons across the country, to, you know, train the incarcerated individuals to.

00:50:02.240 --> 00:50:04.200 John Miller: You know, train the dogs, right?

00:50:04.200 --> 00:50:05.529 John Miller: obedience, yeah.

00:50:05.530 --> 00:50:25.179 Tommy DiMisa: I love that program. I love that. I just gotta stop you right there, man. I actually… I absolutely love that. I have a colleague of mine who runs a shelter, it's actually where I got Cheeto from, called Positive Possibilities. Her name's Debra Whitney, and Debra goes into the prisons and does the kind of work you're talking about. So, I love that.

00:50:25.180 --> 00:50:26.180 Tommy DiMisa: First of all.

00:50:26.340 --> 00:50:43.749 Tommy DiMisa: any way we can work to rehabilitate folks who are incarcerated and provide services. We're supposed to rehabilitate folks, not just leave them there, right? We're supposed to provide these services, so I think that's great. Was that an existing program with the prisons, John, or is that something that came in while you were there?

00:50:43.750 --> 00:51:08.150 John Miller: Yeah, no, it was here long before I got here. Yeah, that's awesome. You know, it's… like I said, the organization was in real good shape when I got here. Oh, yeah. You know, they did a lot of good, creative things, and so, at that point, you know, the volunteers, and if anybody's interested in volunteering, you know, we're not asking you to be professional dog trainers. We just want you to, you know, have the dog like a regular dog, socialize, and, you know, basic house obedience, which we support.

00:51:08.150 --> 00:51:11.150 John Miller: Right? There's online classes, and there's in-person classes.

00:51:11.150 --> 00:51:25.089 Tommy DiMisa: You know, throughout the country, right? And, we try to make it as easy as possible for people. And if people don't want to take on a full-time commitment, you can do it just on the weekends as well. Oh, is that right? So where does the dog… the dog stays with your team during the week, and then the family take him on the weekend?

00:51:25.090 --> 00:51:33.000 John Miller: Depending on where they are in the life cycle, you know, all of the prisons, the dogs come out for the weekend, they get furloughed, so to speak, so they have.

00:51:33.650 --> 00:51:46.789 John Miller: And that's because they need to, you know, have different exposure to different environments, right? Yeah. But yeah, you can do it just for the weekends, or you could even do it, you know, if somebody's going on vacation and can't bring their dog somewhere, you know, it's… you can do it on demand, right? Basically.

00:51:46.790 --> 00:51:55.020 Tommy DiMisa: I love that, too, though. Let me ask you a quick question. Is that, you know, in that example with the bodybuilder on Capitol Hill and President Bush.

00:51:55.620 --> 00:52:08.249 Tommy DiMisa: how you talked about the temperament and the style of the dog, is that also taken into consideration who the recipient's gonna be, where they go? Like, this dog should be with a family versus in a prison setting, and that sort of thing?

00:52:08.450 --> 00:52:24.540 John Miller: You know, that decision isn't made up front, you know, so basically at the 14 to 16 month mark, the dogs will all come back here to be assessed, right? Okay. And that's when we'll see, you know, how big they are, what their temperament's like, got it. The energy level, and then it's.

00:52:24.540 --> 00:52:30.190 Tommy DiMisa: Oh, so it's not been predetermined since they're puppies. That's all going… okay, look here… okay, got it, yeah.

00:52:30.190 --> 00:52:48.299 John Miller: So, you know, at the end of that process, that takes about a month for us to make those matches, right? And so it's not just, okay, Tommy D's next on the list, here's the next dog in the door. It doesn't work like that. You might be next on the list, but unless we have the right type of dog, you'll stay on the list for a little bit. But,

00:52:48.440 --> 00:52:55.830 John Miller: So once we know, once that match has been identified, then there's 3 months of custom training specifically

00:52:55.830 --> 00:53:20.009 John Miller: for the recipient, right? So we know, let's just take a veteran. You know, many veterans have mobility issues and PTSD issues, right? So that dog will be trained specifically for the person and the disability that they're trying to mitigate, right? At the end of that 3 weeks, you know, what you were talking about before, you know, there's a graduation where we bring together, right, the whole community, right? So we bring in the puppy raisers.

00:53:20.010 --> 00:53:31.580 John Miller: We bring in the financial sponsors, if somebody named a dog, and they get to meet, you know, the end user and, you know, the recipient of the dog. And it's like you said, it's always a very emotional, you know, very emotional situation.

00:53:31.580 --> 00:53:40.920 Tommy DiMisa: You see those families, too, the foster family, the volunteer puppy trainers, and you see, first of all, like, that whole thing about

00:53:41.030 --> 00:54:03.019 Tommy DiMisa: Fosters usually fail, gang. That's what I've learned. Foster fail is like a… it's a sneaky way for somebody to adopt a dog, you know? But in this scenario, it's not an option, right? You're giving the dog back. And to watch some of those folks who had raised the dog, and again, it wasn't your organization, it was Canine Companions, but similar model, to, like, hear the families and their gratitude

00:54:03.090 --> 00:54:17.060 Tommy DiMisa: to be able to have done this for someone else, and be able now to give that, it just was… it was one of those things, you know, they say, win-win-win. It was like that, man. It was just… everything was great, everybody was jazzed and happy, so… so, tell me, please.

00:54:17.230 --> 00:54:20.850 John Miller: Yeah, when you meet the end user, it makes it easier to give the dog back.

00:54:20.850 --> 00:54:22.030 Tommy DiMisa: Yeah, really, yeah.

00:54:22.030 --> 00:54:32.960 John Miller: But that's everybody's concern. I hear that every day, too, you know, I can never give the dog back. Well, when you meet where the dog is going, you'll understand the higher purpose. And then, we're ready to give you another one, right?

00:54:32.960 --> 00:54:47.210 Tommy DiMisa: Get you another dog. I love that. You know, it's like leasing a car, man. You know, who wants to drive the same car for 10 years? No, no, a new car every 3 years is great. Tell me how we can help, how we can support, what's upcoming for the organization.

00:54:47.210 --> 00:55:04.209 John Miller: Yeah, so, yeah, we got a lot of big things coming up. So, the first thing I'd say to everybody is, I try to keep our messaging simple. There's three things we need, right, as an organization. And it's, you know, it lines up better with America's Vet Dogs than it does Guide Dog Foundation, just based on the acronym. AVD, right, America's Vet Dogs?

00:55:04.210 --> 00:55:13.210 John Miller: What we need people to do is apply, if they have a need, or if they have a family member who thinks they could benefit from a service dog or a guide dog.

00:55:13.270 --> 00:55:20.330 John Miller: volunteer, right? You know, we have 175 people, but we have about 1,600 volunteers. We are at our core.

00:55:20.430 --> 00:55:25.370 John Miller: you know, volunteer organization, right? And then, D, you want to take a guess at D?

00:55:25.370 --> 00:55:27.270 Tommy DiMisa: I'm thinking it's gonna be donate, man, I'm thinking…

00:55:27.270 --> 00:55:45.350 John Miller: If your million bucks don't just show up, man. You got it. So apply, volunteer, donate, that's how you can help. But, so I'll tell you about a couple things that we have upcoming. So, you know, the last 3 years, almost 4 years now, you know, we were selected 4 years ago, to be the recipient of,

00:55:45.450 --> 00:55:50.430 John Miller: proceeds from a congressional bill working with the United States Mint. It's called the

00:55:50.430 --> 00:56:10.350 John Miller: Working Dog Commemorative Coin Act, right? And I said yes to this thing before we really knew all that had to be done, so let me tell you, you know, the story. So, I've since found out, you know, that probably about 95% of these efforts fail, right? You can only do… by law, you can only do two a year, and there are special rules to get a coin passed.

00:56:10.350 --> 00:56:24.810 John Miller: You need a supermajority of the House and a supermajority of the Senate, and then you have to get the President to sign it. And, so it took us, you know, basically 3 years and 2 Congresses, because if you don't get it done in one Congress, you start from zero and do it again.

00:56:24.810 --> 00:56:33.130 John Miller: And to be elected Speaker of the House, Tommy, you need 218 votes, right? To get a coin bill considered, you need 290, right?

00:56:34.060 --> 00:56:41.250 John Miller: So we got to… it took us 3 years, right, and 2 Congresses, but we got to 299, and eventually it passed unanimously in the House.

00:56:41.250 --> 00:56:41.940 Tommy DiMisa: That's awesome.

00:56:41.940 --> 00:56:53.820 John Miller: We got 67, you need 67 in the Senate, we got it to 71. Okay. And then, passed the Senate unanimously. Although, a senator did try to block it, you know, we, you know, we had a, you know…

00:56:53.820 --> 00:56:54.300 Tommy DiMisa: Whole mother.

00:56:54.710 --> 00:56:57.359 Tommy DiMisa: That's a whole other conversation. What's that about, right?

00:56:57.360 --> 00:57:10.169 John Miller: And then, ultimately, President Biden signed it before he left office. So it was the Monday before Thanksgiving last year that he signed it into law. So, we're working with the Mint right now to, you know, produce and design commemorative coins that'll have working dogs on them.

00:57:10.170 --> 00:57:11.410 Tommy DiMisa: God is super cool.

00:57:11.410 --> 00:57:18.289 John Miller: Yeah, so there'll be 3 coins, right? 3 coins, so a gold coin, a silver coin, and what they call clad. Clad is like a quarter.

00:57:18.290 --> 00:57:42.389 John Miller: So on the gold… the final designs have not been selected yet, but what's likely to happen on the gold coin, there'll be children's therapy dogs, like you'd see in a hospital, right? On the silver coin, it's kind of like I refer to as our coin. There'll be a guide dog and a service dog on it. In the clad coin, you know, we're expecting it to be a military canine and a police canine. Wow. And they'll be for sale, you know, January 1st, 2027.

00:57:42.600 --> 00:58:00.939 Tommy DiMisa: Oh my god, that's so awesome. I'm in. I want to buy some coins. We'll bring you back on, we'll promote that. That's super exciting, congrats on that. I have a million questions about that process, but we're not gonna do that now, because we're out of time. How can we help? AVD, I'm all about that, but I mean, is there any golf outing coming up? Anything we should know about in 26?

00:58:00.940 --> 00:58:14.470 John Miller: So, in April, we have… it's one of the coolest fundraising events you'll ever be to, if you haven't been to it yet. It's called Dogs on the Catwalk, where we work with a fashion designer from Manhattan, Anthony Rubio, who designs, you know, human and dog,

00:58:14.470 --> 00:58:26.840 John Miller: Couturier, right? And he takes it very seriously, and we have models flying in from around the world to get this on their, you know, portfolio. And, it's a great event. It's over here in the hot pog at the Stoneburg.

00:58:26.840 --> 00:58:38.280 Tommy DiMisa: I've never been, and I will not miss it this year by any means. If you need an extra model, like, maybe Cheeto and I can model on the runway, I know my way around the runway, John Miller, alright?

00:58:38.280 --> 00:58:42.660 John Miller: Okay, Anthony's gotta prove it, you know?

00:58:42.660 --> 00:58:50.420 Tommy DiMisa: I don't think Anthony would approve it at all. I would… Anthony, if you're listening, don't approve it. You can take Cheeto. You really don't want a Tommy D. I try to steal the show all the time.

00:58:50.420 --> 00:59:07.550 Tommy DiMisa: But I will be in the room with you, John. Maybe if you need an MC, maybe we could do that. I don't know if you need me walking the catwalk. John Miller, this has been an absolute pleasure, man. I'm glad to get to know you better than we knew each other when I woke up this morning, so this is awesome. I love what your organizations are doing. I love the impact.

00:59:07.550 --> 00:59:15.690 Tommy DiMisa: Thank you for being my friend, thanks for connecting on the show today. You got me in your corner, man, you let me know how I can help you in any way. Anything you want to leave folks with before we go?

00:59:15.930 --> 00:59:20.760 John Miller: Go to GuideDog.org or VetDogs.org to apply, volunteer, or donate.

00:59:20.760 --> 00:59:30.419 Tommy DiMisa: AVD, baby, AVD, rhymes with Tommy D. Listen, I leave you all with this. This has been another In Focus production. Make it a great day, gang. I'll see you next Friday. Bye now.

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