In 1974 Steve graduated from McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario with an Honours Degree (B.A.) in Urban Studies. In 1976 he became the President of a small real estate company responsible for acquisition, development, coordination, servicing and eventually sales of residential property and passed the real estate salesman's licensing program in Ontario. He became a licensed real estate broker in 1975 and became a certified teaching instructor for the Ontario Real Estate Association. In 1978 he was accepted as a provisional member at the Canadian Institute of Planners. Over the next three years the firm concentrated on construction of residential properties, real estate management, sales and appraisal.

Steve obtained an accreditation with the Appraisal Institute, in 1981 and was granted the designation, Accredited Appraiser Canadian Institute (AACI). After The Land Economists of Ontario reviewed his professional standing in real estate, he was granted the right to use the designation, Professional Land Economist (PLE).

In 1982 Steve sold his shares in the Ontario companies and moved his family to Calgary. He purchased an interest in a local real estate appraisal firm where he became the President and secured the balance of corporate shares. From there he started a second firm specializing in Land Economics and Property Tax reviews.

1985 and 1986 found Steve serving on the Board of Directors of the Alberta Arbitration and Mediation Society of Alberta and also acting as Chairman of the Calgary Chapter of the Real Estate Institute of Canada (R.E.I.C.). From there and in 1987 he served as a National Director for the Real Estate Institute. The designation Fellow of the Real Estate Institute (FRI) was granted in 1978; followed in 1986 with a second designation, certified in Land Use Planning (CLP).

In 1989 Steve became President of the amalgamated firms, which had been conducting appraisal and property taxation review independently, under the new banner of Rickard Realty Advisors Inc. The firm gained diverse appraisal experience e.g. town sites (Ocean Falls B.C.) and sixty-four shopping centres across Canada (Great West Life portfolio). Planning studies had been conducted on the impact of neighbourhood down-zoning and available housing stock. Property taxes were reviewed for individual and multi-property holdings for pension funds, life insurance companies and banks. Steve was retained in the field of Land Economics, to make submissions at the Alberta Local Authorities Board.

More recently Steve has been accepted as an expert witness at the Court of Queen's Bench, and various assessment tribunals. In dispute resolution he has performed as sole arbitrator and advocate in construction disputes and lease renewals. He has also lectured in the Alberta Real Estate Association program as a Certified Teaching Instructor. Steve became a Chartered Arbitrator in 1995 and contributes to the AAMS by marking students’ exams.

Steve is a published author. With research assistance, he has written articles that appeared in Assessment Journal – November-December 1999 and International Association of Assessing Officers – March 2003.