Case Study: Steel City achieves streamlined design workflow and rapid growth with Dropbox

How a college dropout turned CEO grew his savings into a seven-figure business

Steel City, founded by college dropout Brandon Grbach, began as a small, self-funded t‑shirt business celebrating Pittsburgh’s vintage aesthetic. With only $285 in the bank, no outside funding, and years of slow traction from vendor fairs, the biggest challenge was scaling design, production and sales while staying organized and financially independent.

By leaning into direct‑to‑consumer sales, a conversational social strategy, local hiring and unique products (monthly subscription boxes and branded collaborations), the Grbachs streamlined their entire design-to-production workflow using Dropbox Paper and file sharing to coordinate designers, vendors and remote work. The result: a seven‑figure, family-run business growing roughly 50% year over year, nearly 20 employees, multiple retail locations and high-profile partnerships — all while retaining 100% ownership.

Steel City

Brandon Grbach

Steel City