Mike Mills
Mike Mills is a lifelong maker, sailor, and entrepreneur who believes the best ideas usually begin with rolled-up sleeves. He built his first boat with his father at age eight, then went on to earn All-American sailing honors and win a 505 World Championship.
Today, Mike is founder and CEO of TotalBoat, the Bristol, Rhode Island company behind high-performance coatings, adhesives, and finishes used by boatbuilders, woodworkers, artists, and inventive people who occasionally ignore the instructions. Before launching TotalBoat in 2011, he learned the marine business from nearly every angle at Jamestown Distributors—from warehouse work to the call center—where thousands of conversations taught him that makers need encouragement and honest help as much as good materials.
Mike remains TotalBoat’s “customer zero,” testing products on real projects and championing a culture where the team learns by doing. He has helped bring makers together through hands-on workshops and boatbuilding challenges that turn plywood, epoxy, curiosity, and friendly competition into floating objects.
As a board member for Monkton Artists & Scholars, Mike brings practical optimism, entrepreneurial experience, and a deep belief in creative communities. When he is not working, he is usually boating, skiing with his family, kiteboarding, or dreaming up the next thing worth making.