Aviation, wellness entrepreneurs honoured at VIBE Awards

E. Oliver Owen might need a bigger mantel.

The entrepreneur was honoured last week in Winnipeg at the 19th annual Visionary Indigenous Business Excellence Awards.

He received a custom trophy depicting a floatplane in recognition of what he’s accomplished with his business, Amik Aviation Ltd., which provides air services to remote First Nations communities in northwestern Manitoba.

The prize follows recognition from the National Aboriginal Capital Corporations Association, which presented Owen with its Indigenous Business of the Year award in May, and a nod from the Manitoba Aviation Council, which presented him with its Pioneer of Flight award in 2019.

“When I got the call I thought, ‘Wow, I’m getting another one?’” the 67-year-old said of the VIBE award. “I was very thrilled and happy to get an award like that.”

Presented by Indigenous Business Education Partners, a department in the University of Manitoba’s Asper School of Business, the VIBE Awards celebrate the achievements of successful Indigenous entrepreneurs.

This year’s honours were handed out Nov. 6 during a gala at the Fort Garry Hotel. Fitness professional Cody Gonsalves, founder of Purposeful Movements Ltd., was also recognized.

“What stood out most to me about both their nominations is that they both saw community needs that they believed they could address,” said Riley Proulx, director of IBEP.

When Owen was growing up, air travel to and from Indigenous communities in Manitoba was difficult. Planes were essential for supplies, travel and medical assistance, but they weren’t readily accessible (or affordable) to the public.

Owen, fascinated with aviation his whole life, set out to change that.

After earning his pilot’s licence in Winnipeg in 1978 — before he had his driver’s licence — Owen flew for a couple northern airlines before starting Amik Aviation in 2004.

Operating out of St. Andrews Airport, north of Winnipeg, the company has a fleet of nine planes and provides daily passenger service to communities including Bloodvein, Berens River, Poplar River, Pauingassi and Little Grand Rapids.

“I enjoy flying very much,” Owen says, adding he couldn’t run the business without his 42 employees. “If I didn’t have my staff, I wouldn’t be where I am.”

Gonsalves started Purposeful Movements in 2019. The business aims to empower people to prioritize their well-being and is committed to advancing physical, mental and emotional wellness.

Gonsalves and his three subcontractors work in and together with Indigenous communities, providing in-person and virtual lessons, one-on-one sessions and group classes for participants of all ages.

The 36-year-old named the business after something a boxing coach once told him: instead of constantly moving around the ring, move with purpose.

“The whole focus is helping people move with purpose and make sense of all the noise,” Gonsalves said of his company.

In addition to fitness and nutrition plans, Gonsalves and his colleagues integrate breathwork, mindset coaching and emotional resilience tools into every participant’s experience.

They’re tools the father of two wishes he’d had when he was younger. For 15 years, he struggled on and off with drugs and alcohol, which he used to numb the pain his parents’ divorce caused him.

“I was looking for things outside of myself to fill that void,” Gonsalves said.

Now he uses his experiences to support people, regardless of where they are in their wellness journey. His goal is for the company to help 22,000 people over the next 10 years.

Gonsalves said he appreciated receiving his VIBE award, which was modeled on a kettlebell and incorporated antlers and a dreamcatcher.

“It’s a nice feeling of recognition of what we’ve been doing,” he said. “At the same time, we’re only just beginning.”

Frederick Lyle Spence, a Winnipeg artist from Peguis First Nation, created the awards.

More than 300 people attended the annual gala. The event serves as a fundraiser for IBEP, which offers tutoring, mentoring, financial aid and more to Indigenous students pursuing business degrees at the U of M.

aaron.epp@freepress.mb.ca