Community matters
It takes a strong team to process the best salmon.
It begins with our devoted workforce and its woven through our involvement in the community.
Our success has always been driven by people. The dedicated employees who live, work, and play in our coastal communities. Taking care of our employees and the community around us has always been a core value of our company.
We’re more than just an employer—we’re volunteers, donors, sponsors, and coaches who get involved in important local activities.
You’ll always find us here in Campbell River and the North Island, living and working alongside our friends and neighbours each day.
Our leadership
DAVID STOVER
David is a co-owner and the CEO of Brown’s Bay Packing Company. Raised in Campbell River, Dave is a father of three, a leading contributor in the community, a perpetual volunteer and coach, and sits on the board of the BC Salmon Farmers Association. He has a lifelong passion for wild salmon and enjoys exploring the coastal waters of the west coast.
DON MILLERD
Don is a co-owner of Brown’s Bay Packing Company and has a lifelong family history in the fish processing industry. A lawyer by training, Don is a born entrepreneur who’s built several successful businesses over the past 35+ years. Now semi-retired, he continues to provide guidance and advisory support to Brown’s Bay Packing. Read more about his family connection to Brown’s Bay in the story below.
STEPHEN HALL
Stephen is Chief Operating Officer at Brown’s Bay Packing and has over a decade of rich experience in the fish processing industry. He’s a graduate of UBC Sauder School of Business’ Integrated Management Program and is heavily active in the soccer community on Vancouver Island.
The Brown’s Bay Packing Legacy
INNOVATION. RESILIENCE. INTEGRITY.
For everyone here at Brown’s Bay, fish isn’t just how we make a living—it’s part of our DNA. We have a love for the oceans and community that spans generations.
For co-owner Don Millerd, who established Brown’s Bay Packing in 1989, the story of Brown’s evolution began with his grandfather’s dream at the start of the 20th century and has grown into a thriving, industry-leading salmon processing company in the 21st century. Brown’s Bay Packing has been a cornerstone in Campbell River and nearby Vancouver Island communities for over 30 years.
A TRULY PIONEERING SPIRIT FROM THE START
The year was 1890 when young Francis Millerd, grandfather of Brown’s Bay Packing co-owner Don Millerd, gathered funds for his first boat after moving from Ireland to the wild coasts of British Columbia.
From 1913 to 1923, Don’s grandfather was a partner in the Gosse-Millerd Packing Company, which became the second largest salmon cannery in British Columbia at the time. In 1924, he purchased the Somerville Canning Company and pioneered the concept of something truly revolutionary in the industry: he outfitted a floating salmon cannery. It was a brand-new concept that had the potential to completely transform the industry and efficiencies like never before. Don’s grandfather operated the floating cannery for a few years before the federal government shut it down in response to hard lobbying from other canneries threatened by Millerd’s ingenuity. That kind of innovative thinking is still a beacon for Brown’s Bay Packing’s operations today.
LEFT TO RIGHT: Francis Millerd (at The Great Northern Cannery) | Francis Millerd (Founder) | Frank Millerd (Son of Francis, and long time President of Francis Millerd and Company, until its dissolution)
AS THE INDUSTRY CHANGES, SO DO WE
Don’s grandfather came to Canada from Ireland in the late 1800s, with little more than the clothes on his back. Within 20 years, he owned more than 65 canneries up and down the BC coast, most beginning with nothing but hand-built bunkhouses and groups of determined, hard-working people. As sail and steam gave way to engines, the fishing industry changed and so did the processing.
The Millerd family’s fascinating and defining West Vancouver history is captured by award-winning CBC filmmaker Gary Prendergast in a documentary called, Through the Gate: The Great Northern Cannery Story. It shares the compelling story of how Don and his siblings were raised in this multi-ethnic fishing village surrounding the Great Northern Cannery. Over time, that village grew into what’s now known as the city of West Vancouver. The film does a beautiful job of showing what a true visionary and innovator Francis Millerd was and how he successfully created an inclusive community far ahead of its time. People from a range of cultures and First Nations all lived, worked, and raised their families there, cohabitating and collaborating and making a living from fishing. That same lifeblood of a thriving, loyal workforce is still essential to Don and Brown’s Bay Packing’s success today.
Brown’s Bay Packing continues the tradition and innovation.
In 1989, Don Millerd decided to continue his family’s legacy and destiny by establishing Brown’s Bay Packing near Campbell River on Vancouver Island. Those enduring themes of new technology, constant evolution, and hard-working people are woven throughout Brown’s Bay Packing company history, present, and future. We are all proud to continue the tradition of innovation, connecting people, and forging sustainable new pathways into the future.