Scott Campbell Jr. From ‘Deadliest Catch’ Now: Fishing Captain Turned Firewood Company Founder

There’s something undeniably enthralling about “extreme” fishing shows like Deadliest Catch and Wicked Tuna. Even if fishing isn’t your thing, to see the insane lengths these folks go through to make a fortune caging a bunch of crabs or hooking tons of fat tuna is pretty awe-inspiring.

Personally, I think the biggest draw has to be the element of danger that’s involved, though the colorful cast of characters, including Scott Campbell Jr., is another reason to watch.

If you’re a longtime Deadliest Catch viewer, then you’re no stranger to the aquatic exploits of Scott, who piloted the Seabrooke on camera for four seasons, and did a darn good job of doing so, too.

How he got into the business is all sorts of heartwarming as well. Since his daddy was a fisherman, the best way for him to spend time with his pops was to get up on the boat and get down to business. In doing that, he fell in love with fishing. But whatever happened to him?

Scott was an extremely successful crab fisherman, a line of work that isn’t exactly an easy one to thrive in. Despite several successful fishing seasons, four of which were documented on TV, Scott ultimately decided to call it quits due to a lingering back injury that made life on the boat miserable. Even after multiple surgeries, Scott was still unable to captain the Seabrooke, so he took time off and pursued other ventures.

Working as a fisherman on rough waters is going to force an individual to learn all sorts of valuable life skills, and Scott had accumulated his fair share.

When you’re out on the ocean and storing the precious cargo both you and your men have risked your lives to secure, the last thing you want is time and temperature to stymie your chances at a big payday: there’s nothing more infuriating than your fish spoiling.

This would explain why Scott was perfectly suited to launch his own line of coolers. He started the Cordova company, which is based out of Nampa, Idaho, that produces an impressive line of foam-injected roto-molded iceboxes. However, according to his LinkedIn profile, he has since retired from ownership.

There are few people who appreciate the value of a cooler that’s able to keep things chilled for prolonged periods of time than professional fisherman like Scott.

As it turns out, though, his entire business venture began from a simple bet.

In an interview with local news outlet KIVITV, Scott said that he had the idea for Cordova coolers while out fishing on a Mastercraft boat. He remarked at how the cooler the men had on their vessel didn’t do a good enough job of keeping their beers cold, and his pals bet him he couldn’t make an icebox that did a better job.

So Scott went and did just that. And since he was on a Mastercraft boat when the “challenge” was first proposed, the company wanted in on his venture.

When he first started the company, the sale of every new Mastercraft boat would come with the option of having a Cordova cooler on it, which is pretty neat.

In his time away from the show, Scott also published a book, called Giving The Finger: Risking It All To Fish The World’s Deadliest Sea. The personal work is all about his fishing ventures on the Bering Sea with his pops.

In March 2023, Scott Campbell Jr. and Ian Randall launched a new business venture—Beaver Creek Firewood, specializing in premium firewood bundles. According to the company’s website, it started “on a dirt lot alongside the highway in the small town of Emmett, Idaho.” A year later, Scott says the company grew significantly and now operates out of a 15,000-square-foot warehouse with over 20 employees.

Scott is a founder of Beaver Creek Firewood and currently serves as the CEO. When he’s not running his company, he enjoys spending time with his granddaughter, who, like him, seems to have developed an interest in fishing.