Steve comes to Smith and Associates from an extensive retail background. He has owned and operated numerous retail businesses over the years. While living in the U.S. Virgin Islands, he owned a candy store, a toy store, a local art and craft boutique, and casual clothing boutique. Living on the island was an amazing experience, but after two category 5 hurricanes and numerous smaller ones he and h
is wife, Julie, decided to move back to the mainland, more specifically Florida. They traveled up the west coast of Florida, down the east coast, and hit many places in between. However, they kept coming back to Julie’s home town, St. Pete was as good as it gets in the State of Florida. He felt St. Petersburg was Florida’s undiscovered gem. Steve and his wife purchased a 1920’s bungalow in the Crescent Lake Area and started a new retail adventure in downtown St. Petersburg, named In Search Of Balance. The St. Petersburg lifestyle was and continues to be exactly what they were looking for. Steve says "It had the feel of the islands, the quaint neighborhoods, a downtown on the rise, and a community rich in the arts." Steve now brings his retail experience to real estate at Smith. To him, hard work and customer service were the keys to a successful retail business and the key to customer service is building a customer relationship based on trust. It isn’t about simply selling to him. It’s about getting to know his customer, learning their needs, desires and about educating first time homebuyers. Making sure that you have done everything you can to help his clients feel happy and satisfied. The cornerstone to that customer relationship is trust. That’s where a successful business relationship starts and that’s how it should always be. Having lived in St. Petersburg for the past 12 years and having a business in downtown St. Petersburg for the past 8 years, Steve has become well acquainted with the local housing and business markets. That knowledge, coupled with his commitment to customer service will provide an excellent real estate experience. Steve is a new member of the WEDU/PBS Advisory Board, he will be providing local feedback to WEDU and assisting with WEDU events. Steve is also active in Clothes To Kids, a nonprofit organization, whose mission is to provide new and quality used clothing to low-income or in crisis school age children in Pinellas County. For enjoyment, you can find him getting his hands dirty working on a project in the yard, banging balls on the tennis court (love that game), or "mindfully" exploring the present. One of Steve’s favorite quotes:
"Trust is a gift not a right. It is something you have to earn and spend a lifetime trying to keep, because one small mistake and that gift is gone"
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