Stephen was born in Morenci, Arizona, a small copper-mining community in rural, eastern Arizona.

He attended college at Arizona State University and received bachelors degrees in Business, Political Science and History.

He served political internships in the Arizona House of Representatives and the United States Senate.

He worked in various positions at Phelps Dodge Corporation (later to become Freeport McMoRan) as he followed in the footsteps of his dad and granddad in the copper mining industry.

Stephen loved tennis as he taught children and adults of all ages and skill levels how to play the game. He formed leagues and volunteered with the high school team in Morenci.

After his father passed away in 2000, Stephen became the caretaker/life coach for his mother for the next 22 years.

During the Great Recession of 2008, Stephen resigned from the only company he ever worked for and followed his passion for dogs and entrepreneurism and formed a company, Dogs 24/7 LLC.

In 2024, his company was ranked #11 on the fastest growing alumni-owned companies published by Arizona State University. Also that year, he released “Like Mother, Like Son”—the life story and amazing journey of mother and son.