SBA Funding Helped this Seattle Business Transfer Ownership and Continue to Grow
Metal Shorts is a Seattle-based distributor of steel, aluminum, and hard-to-find metals with a client-focused approach centered on custom orders, quick turn-around, and flexible order sizes. Debbie Kepl became the owner of Metal Shorts when she purchased the business in 2010, but her journey with the company, and the metal industry, began years earlier.
Beginning at the age of 18 after graduating high school, Debbie worked in the industry for the next 13 years. Originally as a receptionist for a steel company in Tacoma, WA, Debbie learned about the industry from the ground up eventually working in sales for various local companies, including 8 years with Metal Shorts, a family-owned metal distributor originally founded in 1983.
Debbie eventually left the industry to raise her children but a decade later found herself seeking employment again, now as a recently divorced, single mother. Looking to re-establish her career, Debbie started a new position as a sales representative and during a visit to check in with Metal Shorts, her former employer mentioned that they were ready to retire and suggested she buy the business.
Debbie was ready to seize the opportunity. While she had years of experience and personal funds to contribute to the purchase, her credit history had been impacted by a bankruptcy declared during her divorce and the lenders she initially spoke with were not ready to take a chance on her. That’s when she began working with an SBA lender.
“When I started working with my local SBA lender, she really believed in me, and she worked to make it happen,” Debbie recalls. In 2010, by utilizing the SBA 7(a) Loan Guaranty program, Debbie was able to become the new owner of Metal Shorts.
Years later, although she was successfully growing the company, Debbie recognized a need to further develop her own skillset as a business owner and applied to the SBA T.H.R.I.V.E Emerging Leaders program. Through this six-month training, Debbie began working with a business coach, developed a strategic growth plan, and connected with a peer-network of business owners sharing similar experiences.
After graduating from the T.H.R.I.V.E. program in 2016, Debbie accomplished the goals she set in her 3-year growth plan and by 2023 Metal Shorts had doubled their annual revenues. Additionally, Debbie has become a volunteer small business mentor with SCORE, part of the SBA Resource Partner network, to help guide other beginning small business entrepreneurs. Today, Metal Shorts is celebrating its 41st year in operation and the products they supply can be found in numerous Seattle-area buildings, local businesses, public transit, Washington State ferries, projects with the Washington State Department of Transportation and the U.S. Navy, and in the research and development departments of major manufacturers and tech companies.
“In the time I have owned the company we have accomplished some major achievements,” Debbie said. “I love that our little business makes a big difference. The SBA has been a huge part of this journey, and I am thankful to each and every customer who has made this business viable.”