Steve Easley founded The Stonelyn Group after years of entrepreneurial success and experience working on various community projects in San Diego’s 2nd and 4th districts. He and his partners have created a Holding Company that will own and operate three For-Profit Green companies focused on border river clean-up, tire recycling, and creating energy from waste (and one day, algae) at a bio-diesel plant. The Non-Profit will focus on neighborhood revitalization, including a mixed-use development featuring a technology center, affordable housing, a green industry job-training program for veterans, and a financial literacy program for kids.
Easley is an Army veteran who served in Operation Just Cause in Panama and Desert Storm. After his honorable discharge, he formed Easley Land Services, providing landscape maintenance and construction clean-up services to commercial clients including the City of San Diego and Century 21. During the years his business operated, late 1991 through 2005, he became active in the community: serving on the San Diego Planning Commission, Police Advisory Council, Mount Hope/Helix Heights Residence Association, and actively volunteering for the San Diego Unified School District. He also completed Southwestern College’s small business and entrepreneurship program
Spending about a year with AmeriCorps, Easley had the opportunity to learn and apply skills and ideas that help others and meet critical needs of the community. At the same time he worked at the Ocean Beach Community Development Corporation, serving as a community development assistant. He was instrumental in completing a number of revitalization projects in Ocean Beach: extensive tree planting, the addition of angled parking, and new lighting. He considers his greatest achievement to be managing the initial entryway project securing volunteers, serving as liaison with the city, and generating community support by personally speaking with all affected business owners.
Last, but most certainly not least, as of 2011, along with his professional and volunteer obligations, Easley has been playing the important role of the “stay-at-home dad” for his five children, ages 4 through 17.