A bright end to a rough road: Rosedale native Shelley Stewart’s journey to CEO

A few years ago when o2ideas needed more office space, a real estate agent found a building across the road from Samford University and invited CEO Shelley Stewart to visit the property.

When Stewart reached the second floor of the office space, he stepped to the window. As he peered through the blinds, he began to weep. The realtor thought he’d done something wrong, but Stewart called him over to the window and pointed to Edgewood Lake.

“This is where it all began,” he said. “Not many people know my story, but this soil is special to me.”

Stewart was born in a 12-by-15-foot room in the cellar of 25 Edgehill Road in 1934. His mother, Mattie, was a housekeeper for the Morgan family, who owned the house, and lived in the servant’s quarters until the family moved to a house on 18th Place in the Rosedale community.

At age six, Stewart and his older brother, Huell “Bubba,” who was not yet eight years old, watched their father murder their mother with an ax.

Alcohol and illiteracy were at the root of an anger that ran deep in his father.

As one might expect, life was unkind to Stewart in those early years after the death of his mother.

His life story could have turned out tragically, but simple words uttered by a teacher in the Rosedale community resonated with young Shelley. “If you learn to read, you can do anything,” Mamie L. Foster told him.    

It was those words that encouraged Shelley to journey on a path to become the president and CEO of o2ideas, a multi-million dollar branding and advertising company off Lakeshore Drive in Homewood.

His road from rags to riches is a long one with many curves and bumps along the way. Stewart and Bubba ran away from abuse at home and foraged for food together. Some of the best meals Stewart can remember were when the two boys caught catfish in Edgewood Lake. They would fry the fish and eat them on the bank.

Stewart did well scholastically and eventually got a chance to get into radio as a teen disc-jockey.

During his time at Parker High School, Stewart had the opportunity to work in radio as a teen reporter for WBCO in Bessemer. That exposure to radio laid the foundation for his career in broadcasting that lasted more than five decades.

Stewart graduated from Rosedale High School. No members of his family were there to see him get his diploma, but his teacher Mamie L. Foster was. “She stood up and said, ‘That’s my boy; I’m so proud of him!’” Stewart recalled.

He went on to work for radio stations across the South and in the Midwest with the on-air persona “Shelley the Playboy.”

During the 60s, he was in Birmingham and involved with the struggles for civil rights. “I prefer to say human rights,” he added.

Being a voice for blacks during those years came at a price. He was harassed and threatened by the segregationist opposition. Stewart said it would have been easy to let the hate destroy him, but he learned that he had to let it go.

The 70s brought a new opportunity for Stewart. He would help launch the careers of several black entertainers, and he worked in promotions with Otis Redding’s organization, where he broadened his broadcasting skills.

Cy Steiner, an old friend who had started an advertising agency, began growing a silent partnership with Stewart, which began in 1967. Race was a factor in those days, so the partnership was not made public.

This relationship continued until Steiner’s death. The company changed names to o2ideas in 1997. Today the company’s clients include Honda, Verizon Wireless and other national and regional companies.

In addition to his corporate work, Stewart spends a great deal of time and money fighting illiteracy and encouraging young people to stay in school.

Stewart’s face becomes animated when he talks about The Mattie C. Stewart Foundation, which was named in honor of his beloved mother. The national non-profit organization creates tools and resources to help reduce the dropout rate and increase the graduation rate in communities across America.

Stewart is also involved in The Birmingham Kitchen Table. “I think it’s important to leave this a better place,” he said.

It wasn’t until he renewed his passport recently and was required to get a copy of his birth certificate that he realized his birthplace was different than where he’d always thought it was.

The house on Edgehill Road, which is recognized by the Jefferson County Historical Commission, now belongs to Jay Reed, president of Alabama Associated Builders & Contractors.

Indeed, it is on that soil where his journey began.

Stewart is a nationally recognized speaker for groups throughout the country. You can read Stewart’s life story in his autobiography, The Road South, published in 2002 by Warner Books. To learn more about his work, visit www.o2ideas.com and www.mattiecstewart.org.