Steve Slaton served in the United States Army from June 1973 to June 1979, earning an honorable discharge as E-5 Sergeant. He worked as a crew chief/co-pilot on an AH-1G Cobra Attack Helicopter in the United States, 6th Air Cavalry Combat Brigade Fort Hood Texas. Steve served overseas duty in Vietnam and Korea with the 128th Aviation Company, 8th U.S. Army I Corps.
After his military service, Steve obtained an Associate of Arts degree in Business Administration from Glendale College, California, in June 1980. He worked as a professional real estate appraiser, keeping up-to-date on developments within the field, reading appraisal and related publications, and attending seminars and courses. Steve employed disciplined real estate appraisal theory and techniques involved in estimating the value of property through researching properties for valuations. He completed several courses related to real property valuation and appraisal techniques at the Arizona School of Real Estate and Business between 2001 and 2003.
Steve moved from California to Arizona in March 1993, and went on to work as a Loop Qualification Technician at CDI Telecommunications from February 2000 to January 2001. He worked in regulated and deregulated environments through Qwest/US West. From 1995 to 2000, Steve worked as a Territory Manager at Magnum Industries, where he established and developed territories throughout the Southwest in the fiberglass industry. His roles included sales, marketing, customer service, and training. In 2007, Steve settled in Northern Arizona, where he would meet his wife, Karen.
During the 2016 Election, Steve and his wife Karen—both proud Trump supporters—operated the Northern Arizona Trump Campaign Office for staff and volunteers. Following the election, they decided to convert it into a Trump-themed retail store despite having no experience running a retail business. They created the Trumped Store, which would go on to become a local landmark and world-renowned tourist attraction because of its fun atmosphere and pro-Trump patriotic merchandise. Steve and Karen still operate the Trump Store, now in its 6th year of business.
Steve is the proud father of three daughters, Jessica, Joelle, and Becky, and has seven grandchildren.