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All Roads Lead to Home: Steve Millard’s Extraordinary Life and Legacy

Steve Millard, wearing glasses, a vest, and a checkered shirt, smiles as he leans against a stone wall with trees and a blue sky in the background.
All Roads Lead to Home: Steve Millard’s Extraordinary Life and Legacy
Honoring the Extraordinary Journey of a Visionary Leader and Philanthropist

Remembering Steve Millard: A Life of Remarkable Achievement and Generosity

By any measure, Steve Millard led an extraordinary life. Born in Stamford, Connecticut, Steve spent his formative years in Ohio, Connecticut, and upstate New York. He graduated from Christian Brothers Academy in 1953 and from the University of Vermont in 1957. Shortly after graduating from UVM, Steve joined the United States Air Force, serving with distinction in Japan and Hawaii.

After being honorably discharged, Steve moved to Washington, D.C., taking a position with Reader’s Digest, where he worked his way up to Assistant Manager for Reader’s Digest Books. It was here that Steve honed his direct marketing acumen.

In 1972, Steve was one of the first employees hired by the Brookstone Company in Peterborough. Utilizing his direct marketing expertise, Brookstone went from a fledgling company to one of the most successful catalog companies in the country, with annual sales surpassing $20 million.

Steve’s unparalleled success as a direct marketing expert led him to establish his own firm, The Millard Group, a catalog consulting and mailing list management and brokerage firm that eventually employed 225 people and became the third-largest direct marketing company in the country.

Over the years, Steve delivered over a hundred speeches worldwide, including at the European Direct Seminar and the Canadian Direct Marketing Association. He was named to Direct Magazine’s Hall of Fame and hailed as a pioneer of the modern mail-order catalog industry.

An avid outdoorsman, Steve enjoyed bird hunting and fly fishing in Labrador, Iceland, Denmark, Scotland, Spain, Argentina, and Alaska, among other exotic locations. He was also a noted philanthropist, supporting numerous organizations and causes.

Despite his success, Steve’s life wasn’t always idyllic. He suffered from bipolar disease, and in 2011, he wrote a revealing memoir called “A BiPolar Life.” One of his greatest hopes was that his story might help others also succeed in the face of such a devastating illness.

While Steve’s exploits took him to all four corners of the earth, he always called Peterborough home. Over the years, Steve supported MCH’s major renovation campaigns, was a member of the Parmelee Society, and included MCH in his estate plan. Needless to say, we are grateful for Steve’s extraordinary generosity. Then again, what else would you expect from an extraordinary man?

Parmelee Society