The MILEADS Story
It started with cleaning up our own backyard
Before there was a digital billboard on Highway 43, there was an old, half-broken sign for the Horizon Inn & Restaurant in it's place. If you have lived here long enough, you remember it's weathered plastic, rusty metal, and at one point a prank that left a crude message greeting everyone who came into town.
When Adrian and I discovered the Klondike Gateway Mobile Home Community, our first goal wasn’t advertising. It was respect for the people who call this area home and a goal to improve the first impression it had on travelers. So we went to work cleaning up the property, improving the homes, replacing outdated infrastructure, and even taking that old sign down.
From an idea, to a plan, to a reality.
Around the same time, I read through Valleyview’s Economic Development Strategy, which called out something we’d already discussed, our community needed better highway-visible signage to capitalize on the increasing flow of traffic at the junction of Highway 43 and 49.
We already owned prime highway frontage where the old Horizon Inn & Restaurant sign once stood. We cared about what people saw when they rolled into town. Instead of putting up a static sign for ourselves, we decided to build something the whole region could use, a modern, high-visibility digital billboard that helps local businesses, services, and events get seen on northern Alberta’s primary throughfare.
In December 2018, we launched The Really Good Advertising Company, took on a substantial loan, and started building a dual-screen, 20'×10' digital board facing both directions on Highway 43 in Valleyview.
By October 2019, the board was live and the response from the community was immediate.
Local shops, trades, events, and services finally had a professional, flexible way to show up on the highway that already carried their customers.
Standing with Valleyview when things got hard.
Just as things were gaining momentum, COVID shutdowns hit and by the spring of 2020, phones were quiet, advertising budgets were slashed, and a brand-new businesses built on confidence were closing their doors. We had a choice, we could treat the billboard as “inventory” and wait for things to get better, or we could use it as a public service tool to help the community get through a brutal time.
We chose the second option and throughout the pandemic and beyond, the Highway 43 billboard continues to carry free and community-focused messages, including:
- Support for local businesses trying to stay afloat
- Town of Valleyview recreation and community program notices
- MD of Greenview Multiplex events
- RCMP Amber Alerts
- Emergency evacuation and information notices (during the Sturgeon Lake wildfires)
Anytime we could use the board to keep people safe, informed, or connected, we did. It wasn't easy on the balance sheet, but it was right for the town and that’s the standard MILEADS still operates on today.
From Really Good Advertising Company to MILEADS Media Solutions.
In 2024, after weathering the ups and downs of the early years, I purchased my partner’s interest in the digital billboard and became its sole owner. That’s when MILEADS Media Solutions was born.
The new name reflects what the Highway 43 billboard has become:
- A mile marker for travelers entering the Peace Region
- A lead generator for local and regional businesses
- A media platform that serves the community.
What hasn’t changed are the core values:
- Local first
I live here, work here, and own property here. If the community grows, we all grow. - Straightforward and human
No call centers, no complicated jargon, no hidden fees. Just clear pricing, honest advice, and someone you can actually connect with. - Community in the loop
When something affects Valleyview and the surrounding area, this board is part of how we get the word out.
What this means for your business.
When you advertise with MILEADS, you’re not just renting a timeslot on a big screen. You’re partnering with someone who:
- Understands how Highway 43 moves, who’s driving, when, and why.
- Has already used this billboard to support the community through both growth and crisis.
- Has real skin in the game as a local owner, not a distant media company.
What you can expect:
- Personalized help refining your message so it works in your favour.
- Flexible package options for short runs, seasonal pushes, or year-round presence.
- A focus on long-term relationships, not one-off transactions.
Whether you’re hiring welders, filling campsites, promoting a sale in Grande Prairie, or building brand presence across the Peace Region, the goal is the same: get your message in front of your customers.
Meet Matt “Shep” Shepard - MILEADS founder
Ultrarunner. Community builder. Story-driven speaker.
Outside of my role at MILEADS, I’m best known as “Shep", a Canadian ultrarunner who has run thousands of kilometers on the backroads and mountain trails of western Canada.
The amalgamated experiences of these alpine adventures, multi-day foot races, remote mountain rescues, and record-setting running performances has led me to create “The Mountain Method”, a keynote built around three big ideas:
- Finding strength through real adversity
- Staying open to learning when things go sideways
- Leading by example when people are counting on you.
I speak to teams, organizations, and events about how the lessons I have taken from the mountains and ultra-distance running apply directly to work, leadership, and everyday life. The same mindset that keeps you moving through a storm at 3 a.m. is the mindset that helps a team find creative ways to approach a challenging project or remain positive through a tough season.
If you’re interested in bringing that side of my work to your team or event, you can learn more about my speaking, races, and my story on my website: