Company HQ: Chicago

Steve Mayer is the founder and designer behind Bird Dog Bay. He was a true artist from the beginning - sculpting giant serpents in the the sand, throwing works of art on the potters wheel, crafting whole nativity scenes out of hundreds of pipe cleaners - but never far from a # 2 pencil. His love of illustrating came early in life, and today he believes that creating his ties for you could possibly be the most rewarding design job fathomable. Anyone physically wearing his artwork is the best compliment someone with his talent can receive. Period.

Before Bird Dog Bay, Steve perfected his craft as the in-house graphic and tie designer for another high-end neckwear company. However, as the years passed, the thirst for a more creative endeavor grew stronger. Never one to shy away from a challenge, he found two sister, 120-year-old carpenter cottages just outside downtown Chicago. In dire need of total repair, they were just the project he'd been looking for. He re-designed them, gutted them to their brick shells and re-built them both within a year - foreseeing the future home for his own neckwear company. All he needed now was some companionship in the form of Gus, his best friend and inspirtaion behind many of his Bird Dog Bay designs.  (side note: If you are bored check out a whole section of Bird Dog Bay's website dedicated to things Gus ate.)  With his #2 pencil in one hand and Gus at his side, Steve Mayer has created an iconic line of classic ties with many humorous twists hidden throughout.