The Willow Glen Resident Armon Mills Boy Scout Citizen of the Year award goes to Armon Mills By Jeff Kearns Armon Mills, publisher of the San Jose Business Journal, makes it his business to get businesses involved with nonprofit organizations. That's a key reason why the Santa Clara County Council of the Boy Scouts of America has named him its Distinguished Citizen of the Year. "Organizations that provide services to youth and families are essential, especially with the cutbacks in federal and state funding for social services," Mills says. "It's really important for businesses to help step in and fill that gap." When he's not running the Business Journal, Mills sits on the board for the Santa Clara County Boy Scouts, as well as for KTEH, the San Jose Repertory Theater, and San Jose Convention and Visitors Bureau, among others, and he chairs the county YMCA board. In addition to publishing the San Jose Business Journal, Mills is also the vice president and group publisher for seven business journals in western states. "It's very important to help the community in any way possible," he says by phone from Seattle, where he's working for a couple of days at the Business Journal there. "I don't think you can just live and work without giving back." But why do so much? "When you do, when you give of your time, expertise and money, good things always happen," says Mills. "But it's important to do it in an unselfish way... If people give and expect something in return, they'll probably be disappointed." Mills was a Boy Scout as a youngster, and attended the national jamboree at Valley Forge, Pa., in 1957. "Vice president Nixon spoke to us," he recalls. "I remember that like it was yesterday." The 24th winner of the award, Mills was selected by a group of past recipients. Past award winners include P. Anthony Ridder in 1976, and Bill Hewlett in 1978. Pamela Rogers, development director for the County Council of the Boy Scouts, says Mills was the perfect recipient of the award because he's doing everything he can to embody the principles of scouting by giving back to the community. "There's just something about Armon," she says. "You just get this sense he's a very genuine person who really cares about his community, and his entire staff at the Business Journal just raves about him." Jeri Waxman, director of marketing at the Business Journal, does exactly that. "I can't think of anybody who's better suited for that award," she says. "People ask me if he's really that kind and compassionate, and the answer is a resounding 'yes.' He really is an amazing man." Waxman adds: "And he's the ultimate Boy Scout." Mills started out as an accountant in St. Louis in 1964, and spent 20 years working his way up to partner-in-charge at Fox & Company, a national CPA firm. In 1984, he became president and chief operating officer of the American City Business Journals. He moved to Los Gatos in 1991 from Phoenix, where he was owner and publisher of that city's business journal. Mills receives his award Nov. 24 at a dinner at the Fairmont Hotel in San Jose. [ Back to Contents Page | Willow Glen Resident Home Page | Archives ] This article appeared in the Willow Glen Resident, November 18, 1998. ©1998 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.