Meet Steve Kreider | Dad, mediator, instructor, producer, retired First Sergeant

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

Hi Steve, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I was in the Army from 1988 to 2013 when I decided to retire in November 2013 to take a chance at working in the civilian world. Fortunately, I was immediately hired by Ricky Schroder to work as a producer on an Army reality show called Starting Strong. This was probably the best transition job a retired soldier could ask for. I worked on that show for 2 years then transitioned to working on Duck Dynasty as a producer. I decided to take a risk and start my own production company called Hollywood Top LLC in 2015. I worked on the movie Pitch Perfect 3 as a military consultant in 2017. I then produced a show called Flea Market Fanatics in 2018 which is currently on Amazon Prime Video.

In July 2018, had an opportunity to take over custodial parenting duties for my teenage son who was starting 9th grade at Foster HS in Richmond, Tx. So, I stopped what I was doing in the entertainment industry and moved to Richmond, Tx in August 2018. However, there were complications with modifying the custody order that was in place from my divorce, so I went to court in Fort Bend County to resolve this issue. As a result of this, I had to attend mediation first before seeing the judge. Going to mediation was probably the best thing I ever did because it helped launch a new career and business.

My mediator for my case was retired Judge David Farr. I asked Judge Farr what education requirements were needed to become a mediator. He said you certainly do not need a law degree (JD)…actually you do not need any degree to be a mediator in Texas. You simply need to take a 40 Hour Basic Mediation Course and a 30 Hour Advanced Mediation Course. I decided after that mediation to start looking for mediation courses to take in person.

I finished my basic and advanced mediation classes in March 2019. I decided to start my own mediation firm called Kreider Mediation in May 2019. I realized that no one would hire me because I was not very experienced in court-mandated mediations, so I contacted the Harris County Dispute Resolution Center (DRC) to see if I could volunteer to mediate cases. The directors at the DRC were happy to receive the help. I started volunteering in June 2019 and have not stopped since.

I found that my vast experiences with dealing with different people while in the Army and working in the entertainment industry helped me become a very experienced mediator. To date, I have conducted nearly 800 volunteer and paid civil and divorce mediations. I began offering to teach the basic and advanced mediation course. I have taught almost 100 attorney’s, business owners, HR managers, real estate agents, and college students on becoming mediators.

Kreider Mediation has become so successful that I needed to hire a staff to help me with teaching the course and conducting mediations.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I am pretty sure that all the mediation firms in the area are amazing, so I couldn’t tell you exactly what sets Kreider Mediation apart. One of the many concepts that I instill in my staff and mediation students during class is what I learned while serving in the Army…It’s the Army Values, which are Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless Service, Honor, Integrity, and Personal Courage (LDRSHIP).

These Army Values are in line with what is expected out of any mediator. Mediator’s need to have extremely high ethical standards while remaining neutral when mediating with disputing parties. I demand that my mediator’s maintain these high ethical standards even if it means not taking a mediation case that may make them a large amount of money. I always ask “Is compromising your ethics and values worth a few extra bucks?” because at the end of the day you need to look at yourself in the mirror and ask did I do what is right, but hard versus wrong, but easy.

Do the right thing all the time! If you are going to talk the talk, then you need to walk the walk!

This is how I live my life and this how we conduct business at Kreider Mediation

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If I had a best friend come from out of town they would more than likely be a Pittsburgh Steelers fan (No offense to Texans fans), so I would start out. their vacation by taking them to my #1 dedicated Steelers Bar called Frank ‘N’ Steins Bar & Grill on S Highway 6 in Sugar Land. They have great food and the atmosphere is electric if you are a Steelers fan (And they are winning).

I would probably schedule different trips to The Houston Museum of Natural Science, Space Center Houston, etc. Some of my friends are wine snobs, so I would need to take them to a sophisticated wine bar…probably Sonoma Wine Bar. I had a great time there, so I think they would too.

Most of my friends are over 50, so they are in bed by 8 PM every night. However, I would try to force them to muster some strength to stay up late to see a concert at one of the great venues in the Houston area like The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion or Toyota Center.

I would probably end their vacation to Houston by taking them to many the amazing restaurants like Eddie V’s Prime Seafood in city Centre.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would to thank the Army and some of the fine leadership that helped mold me into the person I am today. I would like to thank Ricky Schroder, Jo Haskin, and Jim Rabin for giving me my jump start in Hollywood. I would like to thank retired Judge David Farr for giving me the idea to start my own mediation business. Thank you to the staff at the Harris County DRC for sharing their knowledge on becoming a successful mediator.

I would like to thank my staff at Kreider Mediation, family, and friends for all your support. Most importantly, I would like to thank my two amazing children Morgan and Jonathan for all the love.

Website: Kreidermediation.com

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephen-kreider-13957931/