PROFILE: SCOTTY MILLAR
Brilliant
IDEAS, Better SOLUTIONS
PHOTO: Scotty Millar, 68, poses with a sample of a recycled plastic building material he’s used to design boats and houses. Credit: Jonathan Stright
BY JONATHAN STRIGHT
Two years ago, he was front-page news. Today, Scotty Millar is still looking for someone to help finance his “brilliant ideas, better solutions.” He keeps a binder, several inches thick, full of them. Millar is an entrepreneur and an inventor. He might even call himself a visionary. “I have so many ideas in my head Sambro, that’s where you’ll find Millar. floral wallpaper behind him. Or maybe it’s because I’m one of those people blessed Sambro is one of those fascinating just the thermostat behind him – the one or cursed with vision. I see ahead, always.” little fishing communities that dot Nova set to 17°C on a chilly December afterIn November 2005, the ChroniScotia’s coast. It’s only 24 km from the noon. cle-Herald ran a 455-word cover story Armdale rotary, but it’s small enough to This might not be the place you’d exabout Millar’s “almost indestructible” have a store called “The Store.” pect to see technology, energy efficiency houseboat, the Sea Cat. Millar runs the Dock and Dory and cost effectiveness come together in Millar designed and built the boat usRestaurant and Marina. He lives in the rear new shapes and forms. But Millar says ing a plastic composite made of recycled section of the brown, that’s exactly what he’s done with his degrocery bags. A Quebec sign for a house that’s easy to build and company holds a patent “I have so many ideas in my weathered building. His virtually maintenance free. on the material that is head because I’m one of those face is round and rosy. Dark, blue eyes peer He boasts that his house can achieve mainly used for deckpeople blessed or cursed with out from behind douan R-value of 100 using only 2x4 boards ing. Millar is convinced ble-barred glasses. His for the framing. “If the power goes out the material has much vision. I see ahead, always.” white hair and beard on an Eco-ra home, it will take one week broader applications. are cropped short. Still, there’s something before the temperature inside the home Millar says he received only one call wild and untamed about his appearance. drops two degrees,” Millar proudly exfrom a potential financier after the story It could be the layers of butplains. ran. toned-down, heavy corduroy shirts he And that’s not all. Millar says his house And the Herald story wasn’t the first wears as he scurries out of a room stuffed would cost 30% less than traditional houstime Millar made the news. In 1999, the with bookshelves, filled with notes and es to build. On top of that, the roof would Guardian in Charlottetown printed almost binders, that stretch all the way up to the never need to be repaired or replaced in 1900 words on the Sea Cat’s dramatic voyceiling. It could be the knowing smile the owner’s lifetime. “If that’s not revoage from Prince Edward Island to St. Maretched beneath his beard. It could even be lutionary, I don’t know what the hell is!” garet’s Bay. the mosaic of graph-paper covered with says Millar of his invention. It’s easy to see why. Millar has a cerplans for some new invention taped to the tain charm about him. He’s 68-years-old. He speaks using an electrolarnyx held “Without the village, you don’t have a villager,” says inventor Scotty Millar. against his throat. The mechanical-soundMillar would like to see governments take a more active role in recognizing, ing speech it produces couldn’t be more at supporting and developing the strengths of individuals. The only way to do this, says odds with his animated personality. Millar, is by building a strong sense of community. “It’s the little people in your nation He’s almost exactly what you might expect from an inventor living in rural Nova that count. Those are the people that are your strength, your dignity and your future. Scotia, if only you had any idea what to Not big guys.” expect. Millar looks to China and the United States as examples of nations that recognize Drive down Herring Cove Road. Drive individual contributions while focusing on the big picture. “We don’t need money, per out past Spryfield. Drive through Harrise. We need an attitude that says, okay, here’s a good idea from Joe Blow. Let’s develop etsfield and Williamswood. Keep going. that so that we all profit in every aspect.” When you get to the tiny community of
PHOTO: The Dock and Dory Restaurant and Marina in Sambro, NS. Credit: Jonathan Stright
Millar has drawn up all the plans and the Eco-Ra house is ready to build. But right now, the closest this idea has come to fruition is in the shin-high Bristol-board model sitting on the floor of his study. Once again, Millar needs money. It’s an obstacle. But Millar isn’t one to let anything stand in his way. He’s had enough successes in his time to be able to deal with the setbacks in stride. In the late 1980s, Millar and a partner invented the Ezee-up Bathtub Lift. That invention uses water pressure to lift a person into and out of a bathtub. The lift was recognized by the Canadian government as one of the most innovative inventions of the year. Around that same time, the National Research Council invited Millar to speak about a voice amplifier he invented. Almost a decade later, the Council helped fund the Sea Cat prototype. And Millar is always on the lookout for new opportunities. Aside from running the Dock and Dory Marina in Sambro, Millar is introducing an engine diagnostic product, which was invented in Germany, to the North American market. Motor Checkup is a “revolutionary test product for checking the health of your engine,” according to the website. And you really couldn’t expect anything less from someone with such grand aspirations. “When I see something, I relate it to tomorrow. Then, I sit down and try to be innovative because of the vision [I have] and then I try to change the world.” There’s a homemade copy of Max Eh-
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Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time. Exercise caution in your business affairs; for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals; and everywhere life is full of heroism. … With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.
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rmann’s “Desiderata” framed in the kitchen of Millar’s home. It’s an inspirational poem that acknowledges the realities of day-to-day life that often threaten to stand in the way of happiness. “Those principles will keep you strong,” says Millar. “Life is all about inspiration. You have to be inspired to be strong.” Millar acknowledges that isn’t always enough. “Support is what you need in life,” he says. And with the right support, Millar hopes his “brilliant ideas, better solutions” will help make the world a better place. ¤
Max Ehrmann, Desiderata, 1952
Visit Scotty Millar’s websites: www.dockndory.ca www.motorcheckup.ca
Jonathan Stright wrote this article as part of an internship with the Entrepreneurs with Disabilities Network (Nova Scotia). The Network has about 600 members, including Scotty Millar. Visit ednns.ca for more information.