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McMillan Design, Inc. is a small, privately owned, multi-disciplinary design company located in Gig Harbor, Washington.

The principal in the company is John McMillan. He is an avid inventor, industrial designer, and entrepreneur who has been committed to the field of thoughtful design, problem solving and product development. He traces his innovative skills to his youth in Africa with its many challenges and to his late inventive father, Hector McMillan, missionary to the Congo. As an honors graduate of the Art Institute of Seattle and mostly self-taught, John has over 29 years of design experience, 23 of it as a self-employed entreprenuer. His wide range of skills were honed in the areas of commercial fishing, seafood processing, the Prudhoe Bay oilfield, home design/construction/remodeling, graphic design/illustration, and even photography and fine art. He has mastered the use of his computer tools and has a tenacious problem-solving spirit. He owns several patents and has served as one of the evaluators for Washington State University's Innovation Assessment Program, assisting inventors who have submitted product ideas for professional evaluation. John's civic activities include illustrating, designing and consulting as a member of several committees addressing Gig Harbor's historic maritime preservation efforts.

John McMillan with Sea Catch TR15 Photo John has broken the long-lasting hold by conventional pelican hooks on the release hook industry by developing a safe quick release called the Sea Catch® Toggle Release. This invention uses toggle linkage instead of leverage action to both lock and release a load. It is used in applications such as releasing an ROV from a research vessel or dropping a car onto a movie set. As the optimum design solution to the hazards of releasing an object or line under load and with hundreds of units in service and a long list of high-profile users, the Sea Catch® has received nothing but praise from satisfied engineers, technicians and users world wide. John is shown in the photo at right with a Sea Catch TR15.

Other McMillan Design products include one that might be of interest to lovers of functional art is the Fly Aweigh® Letter Scale, a delightful bird mobile and handy postal scale all in one.

Feel free to call, fax or email if you have any questions, need more information, or wish to discuss your ideas.