PWC champ builds M&M Marine out of passion

M&M Marine supplies watercraft dealers with used parts, repair work

Talk about PWC to Mitchel Miller and he instantly exudes passion. Miller has been heavily involved in the segment for nearly three decades, and his excitement about it is evident.

Miller founded M&M Marine in 1984. He had been riding PWC and working on units for dealers and decided to start his own company. After winning an IJSBA championship in 1986, he zeroed in on his business, and helping the dealers around him.

“I basically focused on giving all the Northern California dealers all the expert service I could,” he said.

Since then, Miller’s business has grown. One of the main components is salvaging old PWC and selling the parts at lower prices than new.

“His goal has always been to make sure the parts are top quality and dependable,” said Michelle Miller, Mitchel’s wife and the marketing manager of the company.

M&M pulls any reusable parts off salvaged PWC units. Staff members remove the parts then refurbish those parts to make get them ready to sell. Whatever can’t be safely reused, such as gaskets, M&M sells new.

“There are certain parts that we don’t keep and we don’t stock because they’re not a good quality used part,” Michelle said.

Most of M&M’s customers choose to work with the company because of the cost savings when buying used parts compared to new, but with Mitchel Miller’s decades of connections, he’s also able find in-demand parts.

“The one thing about some of the older personal watercraft — some parts are hard to find, and he has access to some parts that are hard to find,” Michelle said. “He keeps his eyes and ears open for access to those in-demand parts.”

In addition to his parts business, Mitchel Miller also works closely with dealers across California and in neighboring states, such as Nevada. His most sought-after local service is fiberglass and gel coat repair.

“They’ll even bring fiberglass from a four- or five-hour drive away, so I can fix it for their client,” Mitchel said of dealers.

Mitchel also has partnered with RIVA and SBT for projects that include the refurbishing some of M&M’s parts.

“We have a huge, huge database. We probably have thousands and thousands of dealers we work with,” Michelle said.

Most of M&M’s customers have come from referrals, and the company is also expanding worldwide. One of its best customers is in Jamaica, and Mitchel and Michelle have a scheduled trip to New Zealand to meet with a new distributor.

“Each time one new dealer finds out about us they tell another one, and we gain more customers,” Michelle said.

M&M is located in the California Delta Waterway area, and the company offers local services in addition to their global business. Locally, M&M offers on-the-water mobile parts and repair, new RV and boat P&A and a few refurbished low-hour PWCs for sale.

In addition, M&M Marine supports local and national PWC racing circuits, last year adding a booth at the IJSBA World Finals. Fourteen racers can count themselves as being sponsored by the company.

“The dealers who support racing and support the sport and support service, — those are the dealers I’m still seeing around after
28 years,” Mitchel said.

Mitchel’s wealth of knowledge, gained over years of racing and nearly three decades at the helm of M&M Marine, make him an ideal partner when it comes to getting PWCs back in shape.

“He really enjoys helping people. I hear him advising people, whether he can sell them a part or not,” his wife said.

That has helped his business boom. Just last year, the company shipped 9,000 boxes out of its shop, with 200-300 leaving each week in the summer. But most important to Mitchel is guiding dealers.

“His goal is really to help them succeed,” she said. “I hear him tell people all the time, ‘“I want to help you make money.’”