After finishing school, he entered the grocery business in Flatbush and opened a broom factory in Manhattan.

When his father, brother, and uncle died in a short period of time and left him a significant amount of property, he entered the real estate business.

[1] In 1891, Steers was appointed justice of the peace for Flatbush to fill a vacancy.

During World War I, at the age of 57, he volunteered for service and was sent to Albany as a recruiting officer.

[3] When Steers wasn't reappointed to the bench in 1909, he ran for Borough president of Brooklyn.