John McMillan runs a small, privately owned, multi-disciplinary design studio located in Gig Harbor, Washington.
He is an avid inventor, industrial designer/maker and entrepreneur who is 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 father, the late Hector McMillan, missionary to the Belgian Congo, who was an avid inventor. As an honors graduate of the Art Institute of Seattle with an Associate of Applied Arts in Industrial Design Technology, but mostly self-taught, John has well over 30 years of design experience, 23 of it as a successful self-employed entrepreneur. 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 trademarks 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 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 for the past 32 years. John is shown in the photo above with a Sea Catch TR15.
As of December 2025, John has sold the business to his business manager, Ryan Cole. John’s studio work is now solely devoted to creating, designing, and building on many ideas like those presented on this site.
Note: For all Sea Catch-related inquiries, please contact Ryan Cole at 253-858-1985, Ryan.Cole@seacatch.com, or visit www.seacatch.com
John’s contact email: johnmcmillan0325@gmail.com