Manitoba’s Top Employers
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Manitoba’s Top Employers: 2025 Winners
Winning companies exemplify an inclusive and caring culture
One of the best team-building activities Margaret Proven, executive vice president, human resources at Pollard Banknote Limited, ever participated in was building the company’s first Pride float to show support for the LGBTQ+ community in Winnipeg.
March 11, 2025
Access employees embrace giving back to the community
Angela Vincent had worked her way up from membership services representative to branch manager when the organization she worked for merged with Access Credit Union in 2021. “When we merged with Access, there were opportunities to move into a new role as I took on responsibility to manage multiple locations,” says Vincent, now a managing partner.
March 11, 2025
Arctic Co-operatives prioritizes employee wellness
As vice-president, merchandising and logistics, at Winnipeg-based Arctic Co-operatives Limited, Robin Buchanan is responsible for procuring products for 33 independently owned and operated co-op businesses across Nunavut, the Northwest Territories and the Yukon. And while that job can be stressful given the challenges of transport in the North, there’s a reason why she has stayed for eight years.
March 11, 2025
Assiniboine Credit Union does things differently
When Assiniboine Credit Union (ACU) opened its McGregor branch in Winnipeg’s North End in 2012, it was after other mainstream financial institutions had largely abandoned the neighbourhood, leaving cheque-cashing and payday loan businesses as the only options for many.
March 11, 2025
Community spirit leads to success at Calm Air
Jesse Normore had just started working as a customer service agent for Calm Air International, the regional airline headquartered in Winnipeg, when he wanted to make a change. Based in The Pas, he was working part-time as the airline does just one flight a day into the airport.
March 11, 2025
Professional growth is fundamental at Canada Life
When Christian Robins left Canada Life Assurance Company in 2017 to explore new pathways, he missed working with the company almost immediately.
March 11, 2025
Efficiency Manitoba offers a purpose-driven culture
Dori Chudobiak was one of the first five employees hired to help create a new Crown corporation, Efficiency Manitoba, in 2019. It was set up as an independent organization to promote energy efficiency and achieve significant electricity and natural gas reductions through consumer incentives and expert guidance. Operations commenced in April 2020.
March 11, 2025
Fusion Credit Union invests in the next generation of leaders
Last spring, Fusion Credit Union employees from all 18 branches across the province took to the streets for a friendly garbage pickup competition. While a team that called themselves the Garbage Gophers were technically named the champions, the real winners were the communities the credit union operates in.
March 11, 2025
IGM Financial inspires people to stay long term
Michelle McDonald clearly remembers her first day with the IGM Financial Inc. family of companies. After graduating from college, she worked for two different banks over a two-year period and says she expected her new job would be similarly short-lived.
March 11, 2025
Johnston Group invests in employees and the community
Jaime Chinchilla’s role as the first full-time diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) advisor at Johnston Group is a testament to the Winnipeg-based employee benefit company’s focus on fostering an inclusive workplace.
March 11, 2025
Employees aim for the stars at Magellan Aerospace
When making a major career course correction, Julie Robichaud did the math. She calculated that a job at Magellan Aerospace, Winnipeg would give her wings to soar to new and higher professional goals.
March 11, 2025
At Manitoba Blue Cross, the ‘heartbeat’ is its people
In 2009, Amanda Slater joined Winnipeg-based Manitoba Blue Cross as a claims adjuster right out of university. The organization was the provider for her family’s health benefits, so she knew it had a good reputation. Before she applied for the position, she happened to drive past the head office building at night. “It was all lit up and looked so impressive,” she says. “I thought, that would be a cool place to work!”
March 11, 2025
Employee groups are key to inclusion at Manitoba Hydro
To celebrate Black History Month 2024, Manitoba Hydro reached out to employees to provide ideas and support in coordinating a full month of events. The programming proved innovative, and included a charity drive, a Black Cultural Market featuring Black-owned businesses, and a potluck where participants brought in cultural dishes from around the world to share.
March 11, 2025
NFI Group’s learning culture inspires loyalty
Tanya Liahusha dreamed of moving to Canada while working as a real estate agent in her native Ukraine. She realized her dream when she immigrated to Winnipeg in 2019, and one year later, landed a position with NFI Group after earning a marketing management diploma through the continuing education department at the University of Winnipeg.
March 11, 2025
At Payworks, employees team up at work and play
Ten years ago, Kyle Leung began his career at Payworks Inc. as part of a University of Manitoba co-op program. Now, he takes part in interviews to hire students. “I try to engage them by showing what working at Payworks can offer,” says Leung, a software development team lead. “It’s impactful to see them later and find that they love the work.”
March 11, 2025
Pollard Banknote: a close-knit culture amid growth
Pedro Melo has been working at Pollard Banknote Limited for eight years, but he’s considered a newcomer compared to many of his colleagues, who are members of the 25-year club at the Winnipeg-based manufacturer of lottery and charitable gaming products.
March 11, 2025
Red River Co-op goes the extra mile for staff
When days got shorter and temperatures plunged, employees at the gas bars and supermarkets of Red River Cooperative were visited by teams from the company’s human resources and management teams. It’s one of several ways to pull staff from all over Red River’s many Manitoba locations closer together.
March 11, 2025
Red River Mutual celebrates a culture of caring
A recent thank-you letter confirmed that Brent Barker had made the right choice when he joined Red River Mutual as an insurance claims adjuster three years ago. The letter came from a client who had filed a typical claim. “They were underinsured, and we helped take care of them,” Barker recalls. But he was unprepared for the effusive thanks offered by the client.
March 11, 2025
Safety comes first at Riverview Health Centre
“Were we safe today? Are we going to be safe tomorrow? Do we have any safety concerns?” Cherie-Ann Sheppard says those are the questions often asked at the beginning of staff safety huddles at Riverview Health Centre Inc. in Winnipeg. The daily huddles, lasting 10-15 minutes, allow staff to come together and discuss safety issues, share best practices and identify areas for improvement.
March 11, 2025
StandardAero flies high in training Manitobans
When she applied for a job at Winnipeg-based StandardAero Ltd. three years ago, Hannah Leslie was working in a senior’s home, having graduated from high school in the automotive program. That mechanic’s diploma suited StandardAero, one of Canada’s leading aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) firms, and today Leslie is testing big, loud turbofan jet engines as a test technician.
March 11, 2025
St. John’s-Ravenscourt School offers excellence to all
Travis Thomas always felt like the leadership at St. John’s-Ravenscourt School valued its employees, but he saw how true this is during the pandemic.
March 11, 2025
At Transcona Roofing, employees feel they’re valued
When Corina Ngan Tian began as a service coordinator at Transcona Roofing Ltd. in 2022, she quickly saw the opportunity for improvements in customer service. That soon propelled her into the service manager position. She had the expertise to take the company to the next level.
March 11, 2025
At True North, happy employees equal happy guests
Early in the season, management at Winnipeg-based True North Sports + Entertainment — owners of the Winnipeg Jets and Canada Life Centre, among other properties — met with its 1,800 casual employees to discuss how to elevate the guest experience. But the meeting soon shifted into a forum for employee ideas.
March 11, 2025
USB staff thrive where community and career intersect
When Katelyn North transitioned to professor with Université de Saint-Boniface (USB), it was like a homecoming for the graduate of USB’s nursing program.
March 11, 2025
UCN goes deep with training and development
Selvin Peter loves teaching at the University College of the North (UCN). He’s been there 28 years, since UCN was a community college. It became UCN in 2004 and Peter is an associate professor in the faculty of arts, business and science.
March 11, 2025
Expanding horizons at the University of Manitoba
Change is baked right into Ghislaine Alleyne’s job description. Every day brings new challenges and there’s no such thing as the same old routine. And she wouldn’t have it any other way as she helps transform the University of Manitoba as specialist, organizational excellence and change management.
March 11, 2025
Wawanesa Insurance cultivates inclusion and belonging
Pri Mediwake heard good things from several individuals about Winnipeg-based Wawanesa Mutual Insurance Company before joining the organization last August. After coming aboard, she was delighted to discover the company’s culture is just as she heard — welcoming and inclusive.
March 11, 2025
Westoba knows how to keep and care for its people
When Danielle Kenler joined Brandon-based Westoba Credit Union in 2017 as a member services representative, she had no clue that seven years later, she would be voted Employee of the Year. “I was so surprised!” she says. “And I was touched that my team members had collaborated to nominate me.”
March 11, 2025
For Winnipeg Airports Authority, safety is a core value
Since 2022, when Nick Hays became CEO of the Winnipeg Airports Authority Inc. (WAA), the spotlight has increasingly been trained on the employee experience, says Katelyn Costa-Sale, manager, human resources. “In the past few years, we’ve really learned from the workforce what was important to them and their values, and we realigned and repositioned our vision, mission and values statements.”
March 11, 2025
Long-term careers are the goal at the WCB of Manitoba
If you were looking for proof that the Workers Compensation Board of Manitoba (WCB) knows how to keep employees happy, you only need to talk to Sarah Kekkonen, supervisor of document management. She began her career there after high school on just a two-week term to relabel files.
March 11, 2025