VIBE Awards honour meeting community needs

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This article was published 18/11/2024 (382 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Graphic designer Shaun Vincent doesn’t usually submit his work for awards consideration.

“When I design something it has a feel to it, a spirit to it, that I don’t want to mess with,” said the entrepreneur who runs Vincent Design Inc. “A lot of work goes into it (and) it becomes something special — something I don’t want to brag about.”

Vincent made an exception last week, when he was honoured at the 18th annual Visionary Indigenous Business Excellence Awards at the convention centre in downtown Winnipeg.

Emilie McKinney, founder of Anishinaabe Bimishimo, was also recognized at the ceremony which celebrates successful Indigenous entrepreneurs.

“To me what speaks volumes about these two recipients is how they stepped up to the plate when they saw a need in their communities,” said Riley Proulx, director of Indigenous Business Education Partners, the department at the University of Manitoba that presents the awards.

Vincent, who grew up in the Métis community of St. Laurent, started his company in 2007, after recognizing the need for representational design.

Today, his branding and marketing firm employs close to 40 people. The company focuses on promoting Indigenous communities, organizations and companies.

The 47-year-old has designed hundreds of logos, specializing in those that require a deep understanding and sensitivity to the people and stories they represent. One example is the Survivors’ Flag, a design he created for the U of M-based National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation in honour of residential school survivors.

“I felt pretty incredible,” Vincent said of receiving a VIBE award. “Very fortunate.”

McKinney, an Anishinaabe woman from Swan Lake First Nation, echoed that sentiment. “I felt very proud of myself as well as my team, my friends, my family, my supporters, my teachers (and) my support system,” she said.

McKinney was 16 when she started Anishinaabe Bimishimo in Somerset. The company manufactures jingle cones — accessories for the regalia worn by Indigenous powwow dancers — and ships them to more than 100 stores.

The 23-year-old has expanded her production line to manufacture bags and clothing, collaborating with many organizations, artists and sports teams.

She represents the company at more than 40 of the largest Indigenous events across North America and is currently in the midst of relocating its headquarters to Winnipeg.

McKinney and Vincent each received a custom award carved by Frederick Lyle Spence, a Winnipeg-based artist from Peguis First Nation.

According to Proulx, the VIBE Awards are important because the event gives Indigenous business students the opportunity to network with successful entrepreneurs and businesspeople.

Additionally, the event serves as a fundraiser for Indigenous Business Education Partners, which offers tutoring, mentoring, financial aid and more to Indigenous students pursuing a degree at the U of M’s Asper School of Business.

All proceeds from the event benefit students through scholarships, bursaries and academic support.

“What I consistently hear from those that attend is that (the event) has heart,” Proulx said. “All of it comes together to make it feel, whether you’re a sponsor or someone in attendance, that your support matters.”

aaron.epp@freepress.mb.ca