He had just spent eight years reviving the Fred Meyer supermarket chain before selling it to Kroger.

FORBES: Looking Up--Maybe

"Our main customers are moms with kids, " says Fred Meyer spokesperson Melinda Merrill.

FORBES: Rebound

Then in October 1999 he heard from his old lieutenant David Jessick , the former vice president of Fred Meyer.

FORBES: Looking Up--Maybe

He lured a few Fred Meyer cronies to help him, including designated successor Mary Sammons , now head of operations.

FORBES: Rite Aid Gets Some Relief

Fred Meyer, the grocery store chain and a sponsor of the team since the early 1970s, dropped the Blazers in 2004.

FORBES: Rebound

He brought in the old Fred Meyer gang, including Jessick, now 48, and then went about scaring up cash to keep the shelves filled.

FORBES: Looking Up--Maybe

One little hangup: Other than the 2.3% stake he received in Kroger when he flipped his Fred Meyer chain in 1999, he doesn't own grocery stores anymore.

FORBES: Shop Till You Flop

Miller, 59, has been here before: He spent eight years reviving the Fred Meyer supermarket chain, later bought by Kroger (nyse: KR - news - people ).

FORBES: Rite Aid Gets Some Relief