Charles N. Mills

Mills is the son of James Stephen "Jim" Mills (1936–2019), who was the co-founder (with his brother Jon), and former CEO of Medline.^[2] Mills earned a bachelor's degree and an MBA, both from Cornell University.^[3]

Mills has been CEO of Medline Industries since 1997, the fourth generation to run the company, founded in 1910.^[4] His cousin, Andy Mills is president, and Andy's brother-in-law Jim Abrams is COO.^[4]

Alongside his cousin and brother-in-law, Mills took over when the company had around half a billion sales. It is now worth approximately $3 billion, according to Forbes.^[5] His company has provided medical supplies during Hurricane Katrina, for which the company was awarded the American Red Cross, Hurricane Harvey,^[6] and during the Coronavirus pandemic.^[7]

Mills transitioned to the role of chairman of the company in 2023, after 26 years as CEO.^[8] At the time of Medline's initial public offering in December 2025, his net worth was estimated to be $10.9 billion.^[8]