We are Steve and Dawn Miller, Owners of Elite Awnings & Sun Shades.
Steve and I have been in business for many years and absolutely love what we do! We are very passionate about helping every one of our customers achieve exactly the type of “Shade” that they want in their backyard oasis.
We have been happily married since 1989 with 4 grown children, a wonderful son-in-law, and 4 grandchildren. They are our world! Our son, Kemery, works full time on our install team with Dave Waganfeald. Our youngest daughter attends the University of Toledo studying Business and plans to work with us in the future. Our Lead Installer, Dave Waganfeald, happens to be married to my absolute best friend, Julie, who I have been friends with since the first grade. What a blessing to be working with such amazing people in our lives.
We love to give back to our community and have certain organizations that we hold very dear to our hearts. Elite Awnings & Sun Shades is the proud sponsor for “Eastons Brigade” for the annual March of Dimes walk in Downtown Toledo. Our grandson was born at 23 weeks premature so we march in great pride for all of his accomplishments and for all of the other children represented in the walk. We also have twin granddaughters that were born prematurely and are doing quite well.
Our hobbies include restoring our 100 year old home in Sylvania, playing with our grandchildren, attending local car shows with our Mercury that we’ve owned since we were 19 years old, and bike riding. We also have four very spoiled fur babies.
We try to escape to Kelleys Island a couple of times a year with our kids when we have the chance. Steve’s grandfather had owned several businesses on the Island back in the day. He’s been going up there since he was a little boy. Being an entrepreneur is definitely in his blood.
We have been very blessed for the last 5 years in a row to be recognized by Sunesta as one of their “Top 10 Dealers” in the U.S. & Canada. We also received multiple awards for “Sales & Customer Service”.
We look forward to having the chance to meet you and seeing how we can help you “Shade” your own little oasis.
- Steve & Dawn Miller, Owners of Elite Awnings & Sun Shades
Meet Our 'Elite' Awning Team
Steve Miller
Dawn Miller
Dave Waganfeald
Frequently Asked Questions
Sunesta offers Power Retractable Awnings that can extend out to lengths of 14 feet 8 inches, and widths up to 40 feet.
Sunesta Retractable Awnings are the only Retractable Awning in the USA to carry the "Miami/Dade County Building Code" approval for high velocity winds. Built tough with "The Best Warranties" in the business.
If you purchase a lesser quality Retractable Awning, it will likely have a " 5 year warranty". Sunesta Retractable Awnings carry a LIFETIME warranty that is even "Transferable to the next homeowner". Again, built to last.
Most of the "Lesser Quality" retractable awnings are built overseas and the fabric is then applied here in the country after the customer purchases it. This allows our competitors to use "unique verbiage" by saying they are "Assembled in the USA". All of our Power Retractable Awnings & Screens are both "Built & Assembled" in our plant in Jacksonville, Florida. Proudly made in the USA.
Minimum height is 8 feet. But if there is room to go higher, it helps with overall performance and watershed. All Sunesta Retractable Awnings have an adjustable pitch so they can be set for any height.
Sunesta Sentry Power Retractable Screens can be built up to 18 feet wide and 12 feet tall. Unique zipper track design keeps the screen tight and stable which results in a sleek and powerful unit.
No, they are not necessary. Most sensors today are either battery or solar powered which make them unpredictable and sensitive. We encourage our customers to use common sense when using Sunesta Awnings & Screens. Be cautious of inclement weather conditions. We advise our customers to retract their awning or screen if it will be unattended for a long period of time.
A Hood will give you "partial" fabric protection while a Smartcase will give you "total" fabric protection. This will give a sleek appearance and allow it to fit into tight areas.
Other units that are built overseas can take months to install. Sunesta Retractable Awnings and Power Screens are built in the USA so our lead times are much shorter. We custom build each unit and have it ready for installation in just a few weeks. Installation takes 3-4 hours on average.
Yes they can - this goes back to an earlier question about height. More height equals more pitch, which means better watershed. More watershed means no puddling and you stay dry.
Typical lesser value awnings have 4 set sizes because they are premade in a factory overseas while every Sunesta awning is custom built to the inch (up to 40 feet wide) to fit a particular home or structure. This way the custom awning looks like it is supposed to be there.
No. With a Hood or SmartCase (what we recommend), the fabric and motor is protected from the cold weather. Some homeowners use their units all year long to control room brightness indoors.
Use a mixture of warm water and Dawn Dish Soap for the metal areas. We then recommend using Woolite, warm water, and a soft brush for the fabric. Finally, rinse off with a garden hose. We do not recommend power washing as it is too harsh on the fabric.
Absolutely not. Lesser quality awnings are made using cast aluminum while Sunesta awnings use heavy gauge "Extruded" aluminum that is powder coated. High grade stainless steel hardware and four cable arm systems instead of the typical two cable systems are just a few of the advantages that you get when purchasing a Sunesta Retractable Awning.
With Sunesta you can customize your retractable awnings and screens with over 150 fabulous "in-stock" fabric choices and 4 frame colors. Most lesser quality awnings have just a few fabric choices and 2 frame colors.