Meet Steve Neubecker | Periwinkle Way Brand Owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Steve Neubecker and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Steve, we’d love to hear about a book that’s had an impact on you.
A book that had a big impact on the way I thought was “Rich Dad Poor Dad” by Robert Kiyosaki. It was a relatively simple message, but very powerful at the same time. The book taught me how to think differently about money and investing. It made me think about the things I was buying and why I was buying them. I discovered there is a deep connection between money and emotions and how the two are tightly correlated. It put me on a better path of happiness by spending energy on things that were truly important to me.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Love at first sight. Both my wife and I fell in love with Sanibel Island many years ago. The characteristics of the island are a perfect fit for our personalities. We both love family, the beach and wildlife. Everything Sanibel represents (Nature, Family, Wildlife, Conservation) is precious to us

It all began 1992 when I took a semester off college to work at South Seas Plantation (now called South Seas Island Resort). The beauty of the island, the conservation of nature, the habitat for wildlife, and the gorgeous beaches for families to share left a lifelong impression. I found the holy grail, but also realized I needed to start doing things in my life to get me where I wanted, and needed, to be. I only worked on the island for a few months, but the experience was a turning point in my life.

I quickly learned I wanted to be the person coming back year after year visiting this tropical paradise on vacation. One of my many jobs on the island was delivering pizzas. Night after night I would deliver pizzas to families on vacation. They would open the door smiling and happy to see me, the kids would be jumping around in the background so happy to get their pizza. Then the door would close. I realized that I wanted to be the one on the other side of the door, bringing my family here to the islands to make lifelong memories. I went back home to Michigan very motivated with a goal. I worked incredibly hard in school, graduated from Michigan State University, and married the love of my life.

I think the best advice can be summed up nicely by Ms. Frizzle from the Popular Children’s show in the 1990’s The Magic School Bus. She would regularly say “Take chances, make mistakes, get messy!”

I want the world to know the driving force behind the purpose of Periwinkle Way is 1) Support wildlife and conservation 2) Share the love of nature 3) Spread joy and positivity to the world.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
We would tell our friends all about Sanibel and Captiva Islands.

Places to Stay:
Stay at the South Seas Island Resort, ‘Tween Waters, Castaway Beach Cottages, Casa Ybel, or the many wonderful mom and pop condos and cottages.

Things to Do:
Go for a bike ride on Periwinkle Way
Go to the Sanibel Farmers Market
Shop at the Periwinkle Shops
Visit as many beaches as you can (Turner, Blind Pass, Captiva, Bowman’s, Tarpon Bay, Sanibel LIghthouse)
Play golf at the Dunes Golf and Tennis Club
Visit Bailey -Matthews National Shell Museum
Visit JN Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge
Take a tour at CROW
Walk the hidden trails to spot and photograph nature and wildlife
Try to find a Junonia shell along the beach
Take a Kayak Trail Tour from Tarpon Bay Explorers
Take a boat ride to Cabbage Key to find the restaurant that might have inspired the song Cheeseburger in Paradise by Jimmy Buffet
Take a dolphin cruise

Places to Eat:
Get the Orange Crunch Cake at the Bubble Room
Watch the sunset and eat great food at The Mucky Duck
Try the Doc Fords on Captiva and Sanibel to determine your favorite
Try to fried Grouper Sandwich at the the Lazy Flamingo (the one by Captiva’s Island Blind Pass)
Eat a burger at Schnapper’s Hots
Enjoy a romantic dinner at Sunset Grill
Splurge and try an eclectic meal at The Mad Hatter
Enjoy ice cream at Sanibel’s Best or Joey’s Custard
Enjoy a family meal at the Island Cow
Get great BBQ from Island Pizza
Explore the many other wonderful restaurants throughout the islands

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Our brand was inspired by the islands of Sanibel and Captiva. Over 50% of the islands are protected and there are so many wildlife and conservation organizations. We feel in love with the islands because of these organizations, and wanted to share the feelings as a brand. The three organizations that have inspired us are CROW (crowclinic.org), Ding Darling (https://www.fws.gov/refuge/JN_Ding_Darling/), and SCCF (www.sccf.org).

Website: PeriwinkleWay.com

Instagram: @theperiwinkleway

Twitter: @PeriwinkleWay

Facebook: @PeriwinkleWay