Kory Miller

Kory Kubatzky Miller is the granddaughter of Winco’s founder, Johann Carl Otto Kubatzky, who at the age of 23 immigrated to this country from Germany in 1892. Trained as an architect, Otto Kubatzky was a builder, developer and inventor. Kory’s father, Woodrow, was Otto’s youngest of two sons.

Otto invented and received numerous U.S. patents on window components beginning in 1915. After designing and building homes, commercial and light industrial buildings in California, Oregon, Tulsa Oklahoma and St. Louis, Otto turned his talents to designing and manufacturing a ventilator style window in the early 1930’s. The trade-mark Winco Ventilator was designed to fit into a 4” deep glass block wall. That ventilator was manufactured and sold in and around St. Louis until Otto’s sons returned home after serving in WW II. The sons expanded and improved upon the ventilator design, added new products to the line and created a network of national sales representation that continues today.

Upon Otto’s retirement, brothers Theodore and Woodrow, operated the family-owned business. It was in the early 60’s when Kory’s father, Woodrow, bought out Theodore’s interest in the company. Winco Ventilator Company became one of the Charter members of AAMA, known as the American Aluminum Manufacturer’s Association, where Woody served on the board of directors and represented the architectural manufacturer’s interests. He was posthumously awarded their highest honor “The Outstanding Member Award” in 1980.

Between working as a free-lance interior designer, in the early 70’s, Kory also worked at the “old” Winco facility doing clerical work in the family business. One of her tasks was keypunching information into the downtown Wang computer via dial-up modem. This was how tickets for each window part were created “back in the day.” Now, computers are used not just to generate component tickets, but to manage parts inventory, track shipping, design windows and so much more.

One of Kory’s interior design clients was a large developer who built homes, condos and apartment complexes. The man in charge of building all those homes and projects was architect, Gantt Miller. Thanks to a business associate known to both Kory and Gantt a blind date was arranged and the rest, as they say, is history. They married in 1974 and moved to Virginia where Gantt began his own development, real estate and architectural businesses. On the side, Gantt also helped sell Winco windows in and around the Washington DC area.

In 1980, upon the death of Woodrow, his widow Helen and their three daughters, Karen, Kris and Kory were grateful for the guidance and business acumen that Gantt offered when it came to Winco’s future.  As an architect, developer and builder, much like Kory’s grandfather, Otto, the company has come full circle in its leadership. Their move back to St. Louis gave Kory an opportunity to become the entertainment arm of the company, much like her mother Helen had been. Kory and her sister Kris became “cub-reporters” and began a company newsletter – THE WINCO NEWS – that was published quarterly for about 10 years. It was a great tool for communicating sales, new products, sharing information about Winco representatives, employees and events. Their older sister, Karen, participated in quality control and also lent a guiding hand in many events prior to her passing.

Today Kory and Gantt, when not in St. Louis, spend much of their time in the Carson Valley of northern Nevada enjoying grandchildren (four of their five live at Lake Tahoe), gardening, golfing, hiking, playing tennis and helping the Rotary Club of Minden. When time and opportunity allow they travel to France to visit their youngest son, August, his wife and their son, who own and operate an organic produce farm near Albi in south-central France.