Long-term commitment to community

If Red River Mutual was an ice cream flavour, it would be rhubarb.

Scratch that. Red River Mutual has an ice cream flavour — and it is rhubarb.

Earlier this year, the mutual insurance company — which is headquartered in Altona and has a regional office in Winnipeg — partnered with Chaeban Ice Cream to create a special, limited edition flavour. Red River Mutual Rhubarb includes fresh pieces of the titular vegetable along with crisp clusters made using rolled oats, flour, brown sugar, butter and almonds.

The collaboration is part of Red River Mutual’s ongoing 150th anniversary celebrations, and the rhubarb is a nod to the company’s roots in southern Manitoba’s Pembina Valley.

“Anyone from rural Manitoba will know the treat that rhubarb is,” says Brenda Gibson, president and CEO.

The company was started in 1875. Mennonite newcomers established farms without access to financial protection against damage, leaving them vulnerable to devastating losses.

In response, community members pooled their resources to offer emergency financial support, effectively creating a grassroots mutual aid organization.

Today, Red River Mutual serves 80,000 policyholders across Western Canada. (The majority are in Manitoba and Saskatchewan.) In 2024, its insurance revenue grew by 11.6 per cent to $257.7 million, and net income reached $15.4 million compared to $3.2 million the previous year.

Investment income grew to $16.9 million, and retained earnings increased to $137.9 million.

“Red River Mutual is financially strong as we enter our 150th year in business,” Gibson announced in the company’s 2024 annual report.

But beyond the numbers, Gibson tells the Free Press, is a commitment to serving the community that hasn’t changed over the last century-and-a-half.

The company was built on the principle of helping people and staff honour that legacy today. As indicated by a sentence on a graphic Red River Mutual staff created that outlines the company’s history: “As we grow, our roots only grow deeper.”

“Red River Mutual is financially strong as we enter our 150th year in business.

The company has been celebrating its anniversary all year. In April, it hosted a day-long event at the Leaf horticulture attraction in Winnipeg that gave all staff members — both office-based and remote — a chance to connect in person.

In June, Red River Mutual hosted a community celebration 114 kilometres south of Winnipeg in the company’s hometown of Altona. More than 1,000 people attended.

Later this month, the company will celebrate with industry and government partners at a gala at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights — during which the remaining jars of Red River Mutual Rhubarb will be served.

The company’s staff members are a key focus of the celebrations.

In 2019, Red River Mutual employed around 60 people; today, there are around 200 people on staff, the majority of whom are in Manitoba. One-third is based in Altona and two-thirds work at the company’s Winnipeg office in the Smartpark development at the University of Manitoba’s Fort Garry campus.

“We really do pride ourselves on our culture here,” Gibson says.

One thing she’s asked her employees to focus on is what the company calls “the Red River Mutual experience” — intentionally creating a great experience for everyone they interact with, be it fellow employees, broker partners or community members.

“People seem to think, OK, I can be responsible for that and I can be proud of that and I can create a good experience,” Gibson says. “It’s not tangible I suppose, but it feels like something they can own and be proud of and be in control of.”

Those efforts to build a positive culture are evident to Nicholas Rawluk, president and CEO of One Insurance, a Manitoba brokerage.

“We really do engage (with their staff) at all levels and it’s been continued great experiences with the staff there,” Rawluk says, adding in his experience, Red River Mutual employees pride themselves on the level of service they offer.

“There’s a lot of vulnerability when (our customers) have a claim, so it’s important to us to have good partners,” he says. “They’re a really good partner in terms of delivering on their promises.”

Red River Mutual’s philanthropic work includes “Spruce Up Your Story,” an initiative that supports the revitalization of community spaces. The company funds up to $25,000 cash for select, well-loved spaces across Manitoba and Saskatchewan, such as youth centres and hockey rinks.

The company has donated $1 million through the initiative since launching it in 2020.

One recent recipient is the Children’s Hospital Foundation of Manitoba. Red River Mutual gave the foundation $18,000 for the Indigenous Children’s Healing Space that is under construction inside the Health Sciences Centre’s children’s hospital.

The 2,000-square-foot space will be a welcoming and culturally sensitive place in Winnipeg for Indigenous children and their families to connect and nurture themselves physically, mentally and spiritually while away from their home community and cultural supports.

The $2.2 million plan is expected to be completed in the next year, says Stefano Grande, president and CEO of the foundation, who adds the Indigenous-led project is the first of its kind in Canada.

“We’re absolutely humbled that Red River Mutual continues to support so many great causes but especially this space,” Grande says.

“Having our brand as a hospital attached to Red River Mutual is really important because of the longevity of (our) relationship but also because of what Red River Mutual stands for, which is building community for 150 years now.”

Red River Mutual has developed a 10-year vision and a new three-year strategic plan to ensure the company’s growth and continued ability to offer brokers and policy holders tangible benefits, Gibson says.

The company was recently nominated for five Insurance Business Canada Awards, including recognition for its philanthropic work, its customer service, its diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, and a CEO of the Year nod for Gibson.

It’s an exciting year for Red River Mutual — and Gibson feels privileged to be at the helm.

“It feels like a real honour to be able to lead the company at this time,” she says.

aaron.epp@freepress.mb.ca