Manitoba Women’s Enterprise Centre rebrands, seeks to be more inclusive, diverse as WeMB

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This article was published 16/09/2024 (385 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A local organization that supports women entrepreneurs is entering its fourth decade with a new name and an expanded definition of who it serves.

As of Monday, the Manitoba Women’s Enterprise Centre is operating as WeMB. The moniker and accompanying rebrand reflect the organization’s desire to assist entrepreneurs who self-identify as women+ (meaning cis and trans women), as well as those who are two-spirit and gender-diverse.

The change reflects WeMB’s dedication to diversity, equity and inclusion, according to Max Kashton, chief executive officer.

“There’s so much diversity within the space and we wanted to be reflective of the current environment,” Kashton said. “We felt we needed to evolve and be more inclusive and more diverse in our brand.”

Founded in 1994, WeMB was the first federally funded Women’s Enterprise Initiative in Western Canada. The organization was started to address the challenges and biases women business owners face, including lack of funding, limited access to training and lack of meaningful networking opportunities.

Over the past 30 years, WeMB has disbursed $37.6 million in loans to women-majority-owned businesses, created close to 4,000 full-time jobs and trained 33,000 participants in various aspects of running a business.

WeMB hired Guppy Graphic Design to create the new brand.

The rebranding process gave WeMB staff the opportunity to reflect on the organization’s values: connection, respect, integrity, collaboration and knowledge.

A new tagline, “ToGetHer Stronger,” (with the ‘To’ and ‘Get’ and ‘Her’ stylized to also read as three separate words) served as “the North Star” during the rebranding, Kashton said. The tagline reflects the organization’s desire to see people helping each other succeed.

“It’s about what we all can do in this space together as a community,” Kashton said.

The rebrand is exciting because it reflects the diversity of women who access the organization’s services, said Thao Lam, co-owner of Winnipeg-based Toasti Bean Infused Coffee and a WeMB board member.

“I think it just helps strengthen the community and helps all women-identifying business owners feel like they have a place to access resources and the business support that they need,” Lam said.

WeMB unveiled the new brand Sept. 12 during an event at the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce.

Manitoba Economic Development Minister Jamie Moses and 95 of WeMB’s partners and clients attended the event, which featured a panel discussion with Kashton, Lam and Billy Crossman, co-owner of Guppy Graphic Design.

At the event, Moses announced $76,000 in provincial funding for WeMB. The money will help the organization develop and deliver financial literacy programs for its clients as well as deliver mentoring in rural and northern communities.

“WeMB’s rebrand aligns with (the) spirit of having more Manitobans creating sustainable and profitable enterprises that contribute to the Manitoba economy,” Moses wrote in an email Monday to the Free Press.

“I hope that with this new rollout, people will be able to benefit from a series of services that perhaps they did not know were available to them.”

WeMB will mark its 30th anniversary with a celebration Oct. 17 at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. Mariette Mulaire, the Manitoba-raised managing director of the World Trade Centers Association, will be the keynote speaker.

aaron.epp@freepress.mb.ca