Chris Palliser Presentation

Steve Webb on local business
Tommy West, Feb 5th, 2019

Steve Webb’s authentic approach to business, a catalyst in Metropol’s great success

Webb began his entrepreneur career with humble beginnings, promoting shows for clubs around town. He found that the local promotional climate was warfare where promoters would fight over space on advertisement polls throughout town. Webb came up with a solution. Regulate all the polls for equal promotional rights among all clubs and promoters to go through him, and he would put the posters up himself, creating equality amongst the promotions. Metropol was born. Today, Webb is the CEO of Metropol and hold 100% of the companies shares.

“Vancouver Island businesses have an advantage” Webb claims. The idea of your company being a part of the local economy promotes locals to use your service before going to an online distributor. This is the advantage to being a business on the island. Community is an essential part of the islands ecosystem and having a business thats run in Vancouver but provides a service on the Island doesn’t feel like part of the community.

“Did you have to take a boat to get here? If so you’re not local” claims Webb “we are island owned and operated” and they do not plan to expand into the mainland. The company will however be expanding into a bigger facility in Victoria and doubling its current staff numbers.

Webb recounts “going up to the counter” of other print shops and saying “I’m not really sure that this file is right” and the person at the counter would sigh, complain, and “make you feel like you’re some kind of idiot” even though you were there bringing them your business.

“It was those experiences that shaped Metropol into a place where the person who is helping you, thats their entire job. All they need to do is help you get your file to a point where they can send it off to print” says Webb “customer service is number one.”