When VANOC needed a spectator guide mobile application, Ben West’s company, Xomo Digital, was an obvious choice. Xomo had also provided apps for the Vancouver international jazz, film and fringe festivals, as well as the London Jazz Festival and Cannes Film Festival.
“We’ve been a part of these large events in a way that hasn’t really been possible until now,” he said, speaking of the growing mobile technology trend.
“It’s a huge segment of our business now, really satisfying the need to have a location where there’s pervasive, constant information, and by specializing in those events, we’ve really found a niche for ourselves, a niche that didn’t really exist until the last few years.”
West’s other company, Big Green Technical Solutions, was founded in 2004. Big Green is a leader in web and mobile applications for high-profile property developers like Concord Pacific and Bosa Development. Under his leadership, Big Green managed to survive the 2008 recession.
“It was one of those things where they always say ‘Out of crisis comes opportunity,’” West said.
The recession motivated his company to re-examine the market and look into emerging technologies.
“It really helped us weather that year, provided focus, provided opportunities that now have come to fruition,” he said.
Big Green and Xomo are just two of the latest venture from the Queens University graduate. West exited Queens in 1996 with a degree in film and media studies, and one of his first accomplishments out of school was to help create financial web portals for Stockhouse.com.
“As the Internet grew, we grew with it,” he said of his formative years at Stockhouse. “A lot of what I do now I learned in the trenches along the way as we grew from a fledgling company to one that had offices in many parts of the world. It was trial by fire, but that took me to where I am now.” •
