One of Mark Miller’s proudest moments as a convenience store operator came not from a big sales day, but from a memorable way the store gave back to the community. “My son Nathan wanted to buy shoes for the entire local high school junior varsity basketball team,” said Miller, one of the managing partners of the nine-unit Rainbow Market, which has stores in Las Vegas, Reno and Sparks, Nevada.

He and his son wanted to give back in a way that was beyond a typical food or monetary donation. “So we did—[we bought] the nice ones the kids wanted. That’s what I love about this job, the ability to create these community moments. To me, owning a convenience store presents me with opportunities to connect through helping others.”

That’s one of the hallmarks Miller tries to instill at the five stores he runs in Reno and Sparks. Community outreach has been a pillar of Rainbow Market’s culture from the beginning of the family business—Miller’s grandfather-in-law opened the first location in Guam after serving in the military during World War II and the Korean War.

Eventually, Miller’s father-in-law moved to Nevada and started the first Nevada Rainbow Market in 1982, and recently handed over the reins to his daughter, Miller’s wife Lori Miller, who now helms the company as CEO.

While Lori Miller grew up in the convenience store industry, her husband began his career as a teacher. Miller brought his hands-on approach to teaching to running the stores. “I jump in and help no matter what needs doing at the stores, from stocking a cooler to mopping a floor to running a register,” he said. “I will sometimes hear regular customers express surprise when they find me behind the cash register, but because I think it’s a great privilege to run a business that interacts with the community on a daily basis, I’m more than happy to pitch in.”

That mindset has been the foundation of Rainbow Market’s success. “We have competition with larger chains, so we have to try harder to be what our communities need and want,” Miller said.

Continue reading “Rainbow Market’s Pot of Gold” in the November 2025 issue of NACS Magazine.