February 2023 ~ Rising Star: Steven Coutu

Rising Star: Steven Coutu

By Michelle Williamson

A NEW TYPE OF HERO

From teen lifeguard to Naval rescue swimmer and instructor — a famed Swamp Fox — to REALTOR®, Steven Coutu is literally a jump-into-the water-from-a-hovering-helicopter lifesaver, but as this month’s rising star REALTOR®, he wants to say thank you to those who helped him reach success.

PAST IS PRESENT

Steven’s real estate roots reach back to his childhood in Pensacola. Ray Coutu, Steven’s father, has been a Pensacola real estate agent for 38 years. “I remember him taking me to showings and listing appointments as a kid,” Steven says. “I saw the passion he had for helping people, and that really resonated with me and only continued to grow as I did.

“My parents and I had a ritual that anytime I would go to a showing or help him with a contract, closing or with any part of a transaction, we would go to a Japanese restaurant and get hibachi. It always made it fun for me,” Steven fondly recalls.

Watching his parents’ work ethic made an impression on Steven. He started working at a local grocery store at 13.

Then at 15, he became a lifeguard and continued to work on the beach until he was 18, when he decided to work at various beach restaurants until he entered the Navy.

“I joined the Navy in 2009, when I was about 21.” Steven shares. In 2011, after two years of school in Pensacola and San Diego, he was stationed in Jacksonville. There he started his first tour with the Swamp Foxes of HSM-74 station in Jacksonville. In 2016, he moved “across the pond — the intercoastal,” he explains, to Naval Station Mayport, where he was a fleet replacement squadron instructor with the Air Wolves of HSM-40.

In all, Steven was on active-duty military for 10 years. Before he left, though, in 2018, he obtained his real estate license. In part, the career switch seemed a natural progression. He also credits his wife, Maria, who supported his decision “wholeheartedly while starting her own company while we raised our baby.”

Steven had returned to his real estate roots.

LEARNING A NEW ROLE

A new career comes with a knowledge gap for anyone, and Steven was no exception. Though he had an idea of the demanding schedule and hard work a REALTOR®’s lifestyle required, he had more to learn. “I had a lot of support here locally with one of my closest friends being a mortgage banker here in Jacksonville and my wife owning a local title company,” Steven says.

The assistance didn’t stop there. “So many people took time out of their busy days to answer my questions, talk through situations and come up with solutions,” he says. “They answered my phone calls every day and night.”

“They know who they are,” notes Steven, “and though I don’t call them as much as I used to, I still call them for their guidance and sound judgment. Their support and willingness to help opened the door for me to be where I am today,” he says. “I can’t thank them enough.”

Steven and his wife, Maria, and their son, Smith

Steven served in the U.S. Navy for 10 years.

AT HOME WITH FAMILY

When he’s not working or with his family, Steven loves spending time with his “beautiful wife, Maria,” and 3-year-old son, Smith, and enjoying time with either one of their large families.

The Coutu family also has two dogs, Davis (golden retriever) and Dino (plott hound). The family enjoys “anything outdoors,” which includes fishing, boating, surfing, biking, swimming … and volunteering. They also enjoy giving back to the community.

Steven looks for every opportunity to take his son, Smith, surfing. “My goal is to teach him to have as much love and respect for the environment as I do,” he shares. “Smith is very comfortable in the water, and I want him to spend as much time in and around the water as I do. If history repeats itself, he will follow in my footsteps as I have followed my dad’s.”

LOOKING AHEAD

In the future, Steven plans to continue to grow his business while simultaneously striving to make sure each client feels as if they are his only client. “I received most of my business from current and past customers,” he shares, “and I want to continue to develop and grow relationships with each client.” Personally, he simply wants to “continue to be a good father and a loving husband.”