Read the profiles
To learn more about the 2014 Excalibur Award winners, see
Without Guy Harvey, there would be no Guy Harvey Inc.
But without Steve E. Stock, the company might not be an internationally known, multimillion-dollar brand connecting with consumers of all ages and unifying them to promote ocean conservation.
As president of Guy Harvey Inc., Stock handles licensing agreements with other companies that want to use Guy Harvey’s paintings of marine animals and the ocean in their own products. Other companies pay to use the copyrighted art, and Guy Harvey Inc. is paid royalties on those sales.
Guy Harvey Inc. posted $35 million in revenue in 2013. The Davie-based company has 14 full-time employees and six part-time consultants.
For his entrepreneurial success and community involvement, Stock, 62, won the Sun Sentinel’s 2014 Excalibur Award for Business Leader of the Year in Broward County. The award was presented Thursday evening at the Boca Raton Resort & Club.
Stock grew up in Tampa and made his way to South Florida after graduating from the University of Florida with a bachelor’s degree in management and minor in marketing.
He’s a true, proud Gator, no questions about it.
Step into his office and you’ll find a Gators business card holder. A picture of his one and only grandson sits behind his desk, in a Gators frame. Blue and orange look good on 1-year-old Alexander John, Stock says.
Stock’s journey with Guy Harvey Inc. began nearly two decades ago, after years of experience as buyer and as divisional merchandise manager for Burdines and as merchandise and marketing director for the Florida Marlins (now the Miami Marlins).
“Part of whatever success I’ve had in business with Guy and elsewhere I’ve been, really started there at Burdines,” Stock said.
Stock also presides over the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation, the company’s philanthropic arm founded seven years ago to better manage the business’ giving efforts.
“The expression we use a bit around here is that it takes cash to care,” said Stock, 62, adding that all who work at Guy Harvey Inc. care about the ocean and animals. “But in order to make a difference it does require cash, it requires capital.”
A portion of Guy Harvey Inc. sales is directed to promote ocean conservation and to help other organizations.
In 2014, the foundation donated more than $1 million to more than 60 organizations, Stock said.
Giving back is “sort of in our DNA,” Stock said. “And it starts with Guy. I’ve never met a more generous person than Guy, generous of his time, generous of his art.”
Guy Harvey, a scientist, artist and conservationist, says he gets compliments all the time on how his team conducts itself, how helpful and knowledgeable they are.
“And it all comes from the top,” Harvey said. “Steve has a big part to play in that.”
Stock has been able to expand the business considerably and supervises many innovative projects, Harvey said, such as the use of a trailer that goes out to seafood festivals, fishing tournaments, NASCAR races and other events to sell merchandise and spread the company’s message.
“There’s no stone unturned, no detail overlooked when it comes to execution of projects,” Harvey said of Stock. “But I think most importantly, he has maintained the standard of all the licensed products that we’ve been making over these many years, maintained that very high standard.”
Harvey Taulien, executive vice president at Guy Harvey Inc., said he values Stock’s accessibility. He’s always there when staff needs him, and he trusts them to get the job done.
Stock is also “the eternal optimist,” Taulien said.
“He’s the guy who says we can get this done, let’s go to work,” he said.