Black entrepreneurs welcome $1.2M from province

Brandon business owners say more than $1.2 million in provincial funding over the last year aimed at Manitoba’s Black community is creating opportunities that extend beyond individual companies.

Emelio Brown, vice-president of the Brandon Chamber of Commerce and co-owner of IntriTech, said his company was among those selected for support under the Manitoba Black Entrepreneurs and Small Business Program announced in June by Business, Mining, Trade and Job Creation Minister Jamie Moses.

“IntriTech applied for the fund, and we were selected,” Brown said in an interview. “From what I gather, there were a lot of applicants who applied for it, but we were selected as one of the few, and we actually got that funding to put on the programming that we’re doing right now.”

Brown said the funding was not designed to generate profit for his marketing agency, but to create community impact.

“It’s more of an impact on the Black community than our business,” he said. “There’s no net revenue from that for the business, but we are basically, as a business leader and a Black entrepreneur locally, using that fund to put on an event.”

That event, the Westman Caribbean Entrepreneurship Summit, is being offered free of charge on Feb. 28 and includes four workshops focused on marketing, financial fundamentals, legal essentials and business networking. Brown said local professionals are leading each session.

“The whole idea is how can we empower Black entrepreneurs, even beyond Black History Month,” he said.

“We’re trying to build something that can be scalable, like a mentorship-style program, where existing and emerging entrepreneurs can access practical knowledge.”

He said provincial support made the initiative possible.

“The majority of the funding was from the provincial government, primarily Minister Moses’s office, that helped fund this event and this initiative,” Brown said. “Without that support, we wouldn’t be able to offer it free to the community.”

The funding was highlighted as part of Black History Month, with the province noting the total investment supported Black-led community organizations, youth programming, newcomer services, housing initiatives and cultural groups.

The announcement included $40,000 in new relief funding for families in Jamaica impacted by Hurricane Melissa, Moses said during a news conference in Winnipeg on Friday.

The province also announced $100,000 to support Manitoba in hosting the fifth National Black Canadians Summit from Sept. 18 to 20, bringing together leaders, entrepreneurs and community advocates from across Canada.

Brown said the Black business community in Westman is growing, driven in part by immigration and skilled newcomers choosing to settle in the region.

“We’re seeing more entrepreneurs, more people thinking that they can actually start a business here,” he said. “From the chamber’s standpoint, we welcome all businesses, whether you’re local, from Canada or from any immigrant population.”

He added that he hopes to see more thriving Black-led enterprises in the region.

“I like to see where we have more Black entrepreneurs get out in the marketplace, but not only just to basically be a Black business — I like to see thriving Black-led businesses in the region here in Westman,” Brown said.

Sustained investment in Black-led organizations can help strengthen business networks and long-term economic growth, Bankole Abejide, co-owner of Abramson Taxi and 5IVE Point Auto Inc., told the Sun.

“When the province supports organizations that focus on culture, local businesses and community development, this can build stronger community networks and help establish robust routes for future entrepreneurs,” Abejide said. “This will definitely generate longer-term benefits for the province’s businessmen.”

He said inclusive policies help create stability and confidence within the entrepreneurial community.

“When people see that their culture and contributions are recognized, they become more confident to invest, to expand and to hire,” Abejide said. “In the end, when communities are strong socially and culturally, businesses benefit economically.”

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