Steven Lowell Smith, CPA, MBA

Poised, Practical, Financially Astute, and Ready to Serve Southwest Indiana

Growing up in Carmi, Illinois, Steve Smith enjoyed those times when he would travel with his family to the big city of Evansville Indiana for shopping, entertainment, and even medical care. Families like the Smiths, who hail from idyllic American small towns near Evansville’s are the kind of people that truly grow up appreciating the “big town” parts of Evansville that the smaller communities can’t offer.

At the age of 12, Steve’s mother passed away leaving him with more responsibility than is typical for a happy-go-lucky kid just entering his teenage years. Steve like most teenagers with responsibility sought employment at the local McDonald’s. Life’s lessons come in strange packages and many of Steve’s early lessons came wrapped in “golden arches”.

His boss, being a stickler for cleanliness and appearances made young Steve, pick up litter within two blocks of the restaurant. The lesson of course was that Gateway’s Matter, a lesson Mr. Smith still recognizes. The McDonalds experience also exposed Steve to the importance of process, attention to detail, financial management, and friendly customer service.

Steve embarked upon a quest for education that led him to be graduated from Eastern Illinois University with a BS in Accounting and on to Chicago’s prestigious DePaul University where he earned his MBA. Armed with ambition and good credentials, Mr. Smith established a distinguished career in the field of financial management serving with some of the best firms like American Express.

The excitement of the big city wore off and Steve felt the call of his home region. After living the life that investment banking offers and seeing some of the ways things are done in the world of big banking, Mr. Smith decided to come home to Southwest Indiana. Since coming home, he has become an entrepreneur in the field of financial management helping clients secure and protect their financial futures.

Steve having a servant’s demeanor has also developed an interest in good public policy with a particular interest in economic development. The accountant inside recognizes the tremendous potential that Southwest Indiana has with its strategic location and the upcoming completion of I-69. Of course Mr. Smith realizes that a quality available workforce, a favorable business climate, and affordable amenities are of importance as well. One of his mantras is “lifestyle is the tie-breaker”.

Steve Smith as a CPA and an MBA is uniquely qualified to understand the intricacies of increasingly complex economic development opportunities. “The companies who could bring us high tech manufacturing jobs, the people who are doing amazing things with cleaner coal technology, and alternative energy are 21st Century thinkers. They are going to want to live in a 21st Century, forward looking community. Certainly they will be looking for communities and states with low taxes and excellent infrastructure but also communities with great schools, good mass transit, organic food stores, biking and hiking trails and other amenities. I hope we can use our limited resources to bring these kinds of things to SW Indiana and win the tie breakers,” Steve said in a discussion on economic development.

He is in Southwest Indiana because he wants to be, he came here for the opportunity to serve, and is poised to make a profound positive difference as your Indiana State Representative.

Paid for and authorized by Steven Smith for State Representative Steven Smith Treasurer