"I started building in 1976, when I worked for a company my father started, " says Steve Steele. "We built starter-type homes and some condos. I went on my own in 1982. I grew up in a family where my father was not only in real estate but, developed property and built, as well."

Born in Florence, Alabama, Steve grew up in Huntsville. He is married and has two children, Josh and Lauren, a daughter in-law, Molly, and a granddaughter, Sela. Mariam Steele, his wife, is an interior decorator with a degree in interior design (Bachelor of Art) earned at the University of Alabama, Huntsville. She works her magic on the homes he builds (she is a published writer on interior decorating). The Steeles are active members of Faith Presbyterian Church.

Steve is a life member of the Huntsville Madison County Builders Association. He has served as the Secretary/Treasurer, Vice President, President, Governmental Affairs Chairman, and Foundation President for the Huntsville/Madison County Builders Association. Currently, Steve is on the Board of Directors for the National Association of Home Builders and is the First Vice President of the Home Builders Association of Alabama. He enjoys being apart of the local, state, and National levels of the Builders Association. Steve has made numerous contacts and many friends in what he thinks is a good, quality organization.

His favorite wall covering is brick. Insulated window and doors are a must in his homes, regardless of price. Here, he likes the look and feel of wood, stained of painted. The quality of the products now being offered and the guarantees make them a great buy, and the energy savings are tremendous.

Communication with the client and with the subs is essential to every good, top-notch, quality builder, and Steve is no exception. He spends many hours with clients going over the entire list of specs for their homes, explaining and achieving an understanding with them before construction starts. Changes are accepted as a normal building process, and welcomed so as to have the satisfied client.

"My first job in construction (age nine) was carrying bricks, four at a time, or five-gallon buckets of mortar for them to build fireplaces," Steve relates. "Then they would go the grocery and buy cakes, Vienna sausages and sodas for lunch, and that was my pay. I felt that I was the most important kid in the neighborhood."

Mariam decorates all his homes, regardless of price range. "She takes the clients to pick out the carpet, lighting, etc., and helps them get started," Steve declares. "I pay her, not the client, unless they go into things like drapes, have her help them select furniture, and the like. Then she will bill them for her services. She keeps them organized. If they are new to the area, they don't know where all these places are. She takes them in her car and zips them around. We get nothing but compliments because of this, and I feel it is important to my clients. And it is important to me, too!"

To someone entering the business, "I would advise going to college and get a degree in building, but work for a building supply place during the summer. There is so much to learn to learn about building supplies, and so much new material coming out nowadays, that you must know about. Work on a framing crew one summer, a masonry contractor another summer. There are just not enough summers for them all, but get a good working knowledge of as much as you can before starting out on your own," Steve advises.

If one was to follow this advise, Steve Steele would be a great one to apprentice under. He does a fine job, builds a great home, and is a good family man and comfortable individual to be around.