Kevin Miller, Co-Founder & CEO

Kevin Miller
Co-Founder & CEO

An original founder and majority stakeholder of M2, Kevin brings over 20 years of successful sales, marketing, technology, operational, and entrepreneurial experience to the company, vital to its long-term growth and success.  In addition to leading the vision, core values, culture, and strategic direction of the company in his role as CEO, Kevin actively supports all company operations, along with regularly contributing to industry and technology thought leadership initiatives. His continued personal efforts have helped M2 to grow from an idea in an apartment to a global market leader in the specialized fiber optic areas of expertise the company now serves.

Kevin started his business career in key sales roles for client-centric organizations including E-Z Data (acquired by EBIX), Global Market Insights, and Bronto Software (acquired by NetSuite). Utilizing valuable knowledge gained during that time, Kevin was able to implement a similar client-focused, value-driven solution approach at M2, which has become known for its personal and consultative service approach along with manufacturing customized solutions designed to maximize user ROI.

In addition to M2 Optics, Kevin is an owner of a commercial real estate business and has been an active member of the Entrepreneurs' Organization (EO) Raleigh-Durham chapter for over seven years.

Kevin received his Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, CA.  He currently resides in Raleigh NC with his wife (an accomplished pharmacist) and their high-energy GSP dog. In his spare time, Kevin enjoys watching competitive sports and playing volleyball, while the family enjoys trips to the beach and the mountains together as often as possible.

Charlie Byrd; President & VP Sales

Charlie Byrd, Jr.
President & VP Sales

A member of the M2 team since 2019, Charlie's background includes over 20 years of experience across various disciplines, including leadership, sales, marketing, and business development. In addition to his business operations acumen, Charlie is passionate about creating new things and has vast expertise in mechanical engineering, new product design and development, process improvement, and additive manufacturing. This unique combination of business and technical skills perfectly complements M2’s consultative and client-centric approach. Charlie is able to efficiently and effectively engage with clients on a technical level while recommending or creating tailored solutions specific to their needs. During his time at M2, Charlie is also credited with establishing M2's additive manufacturing capabilities, enabling the company to leverage the latest advanced technology to deliver enhanced product and service offerings. 

Charlie has a Bachelor’s Degree and an MBA in Business Management and is currently a Doctoral Candidate (DBA) in Business Management. He enjoys fly fishing and other outdoor adventures with his wife and dogs in his spare time.

 

Gary Miller,
Co-Founder & COO; Advisor

An original founder of M2 along with Kevin, the majority of Gary's professional career has been devoted to fiber optic communications technology engineering. Gary is responsible for the design and technical development of several of M2's most successful product lines, most notably the popular Fiber Lab product portfolio. With an extensive background in mechanical, optical, and electrical engineering, his vast experience has been instrumental in identifying challenges faced by optical engineering teams and then designing efficient solutions that effectively address those pain points.

In the earlier phase of his career, Gary was involved in the R&D of fiber optic communications systems and throughout the years has held several top leadership positions at notable companies including Eastman Kodak, Times Fiber, Ipitek, and Olson Technology. He has several patents in fiber optic communications technology, in the areas of fiber-to-the-home delivery, optical switching, optical splitting, and satellite information transmission. Outside of his fiber-focused career and prior to M2 Optics, Gary also founded GEM Electronics, a successful electronic reed-relay distribution business, which he later successfully exited via an acquisition of the business by an international manufacturing partner entity.

Gary earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering from Penn State University along with a Master’s Degree in Industrial Business Administration from Union College in NY.  He currently resides in Holly Springs, NC with his wife and when not supporting the M2 team, enjoys taking on home improvement projects, an occasional round of golf, and spending time with his family and grandchildren.