2025 VIBE Award Recipients announced, honouring outstanding Indigenous entrepreneurs

For 19 years, the Visionary Indigenous Business Excellence (VIBE) Awards have been a tradition celebrating the best in Indigenous business leadership. The ceremony brings together Asper School of Business faculty, students, alumni, as well as community members and entrepreneurs, to connect and be a part of this tradition.

VIBE is hosted by Indigenous Business Education Partners (IBEP). Located within the Drake Centre, this unit of Asper School of Business supports Indigenous business students as they develop the vision, grit and passion needed to become business leaders of tomorrow.

This year’s VIBE Awards take place November 6, 2025. The two recipients are Cody Gonsalves of Purposeful Movements Ltd. and E. Oliver Owen of Amik Aviation.

The two recipients of this year’s awards tell stories of entrepreneurs who lived through the issues that their businesses solve. They both lead by example, consistently going out of their way to provide the best possible experience for their clients while keeping community at the forefront of decisions.

“In Cody and Oliver’s stories, they followed their personal passions and ended up quickly becoming a staple presence in their respective community circles,” says IBEP Director Riley Proulx [BComm(Hons)/19]. “By staying true to themselves and leading by example, both provide valuable and essential services to Indigenous communities across Manitoba.”

2025 VIBE Award Winner – Purposeful Movements Ltd. (Cody Gonsalves)

Cody Gonsalves used to be a boxer. When he first started, he would move around the ring constantly, trying to fake out his opponent and get the upper hand.

That was, until his coach told him: “Cody, you need to stop wasting energy and move with purpose.”

Cody’s company, Purposeful Movements Ltd., is the full manifestation of his story. He hopes to empower Indigenous individuals to prioritize their physical, mental, and emotional well-being through exercise. To help people connect back to themselves and reclaim their health, just as he once did.

Of Cree ancestry from Red Pheasant First Nation, Gonsalves struggled on and off over 15 years with “using external solutions such as drugs, alcohol and takeout.” His internal solution was movement: he boxed and got a job as a personal trainer, which showed him focus, discipline, and how to impart those qualities to others. To Cody, movement is medicine.

Along the way, he completed his BComm (Hons) in Entrepreneurship and Marketing, graduating in 2015. His participation in the Indigenous Business Education Partners (IBEP) gave him a strong foundation of mentorship, cultural connection, and entrepreneurial instinct that paved the way for his company’s values.

Purposeful Movements Ltd. works in and together with Indigenous communities, providing in-person and virtual lessons, one-on-one sessions and group classes, to youth and elders alike.

They created an innovative Wellness Ambassador Program, training and mentoring locals to be role models for their community. In May 2025, Purposeful Movements Ltd. collaborated with Indigenous organizations AMC, SCO, MKO & NCN to organize and operate the first Movement is Medicine 5K Walk/Run, which gathered over 200 participants.

Cody’s vision with Purposeful Movements Ltd. is to positively change Indigenous communities by creating strong, resilient individuals that will have a ripple effect across generations.

With every challenge they encounter, Purposeful Movements Ltd. continues to grow while meeting people where they’re at.

2025 VIBE Award Winner – Amik Aviation Ltd. (E. Oliver Owen)

When E. Oliver Owen was growing up, air travel to and from Indigenous communities in Manitoba was difficult, to say the least.

Owen’s hometown community, Pauingassi didn’t have an airport. If you needed a plane, you had to travel more than 40 minutes by boat over mini-rapids, then organize a ground transportation to get yourself the last half-mile to the landing strip. At best, this is a challenge, at worst (in the case of a medical emergency) it’s a nightmare.

Planes were essential for supplies, travel, and medical assistance, but they weren’t readily accessible or affordable. So Owen, who was fascinated with aviation his whole life, set out to change that.

He created Amik Aviation with the simple goal of making air travel more convenient for Indigenous communities.

It wasn’t long before he amassed a network of solutions: he located Amik in St. Andrews Airport, 20 minutes north of Winnipeg; built docks to make landing easy in certain communities; and expanded his operations to Little Grand Rapids, Pauingassi, Bloodvein, Berens River and Poplar River.

He was awarded the prestigious Pioneer of Flight award by the Manitoba Aviation Council in 2019 for his specific innovation in using the quiet and fuel-efficient Cessna 208—usually used for utility transport—for passenger services. He was the first person to do it.

With a fleet of six planes and close to 20 employees, many of whom speak Ojibwe or other Indigenous languages, Amik Aviation shows no sign of slowing down.

Though Owen has been the cause of seismic change in this area, the little things count just as much. Even the transportation of envelopes used to be tough. Some couriers would charge up to $25 to ship to Winnipeg. Give an envelope to Owen, and he’ll gladly get it there.

The fee? No charge. 

Investing in future Indigenous business leaders

IBEP Director Riley Proulx knows that students will come away from the VIBE Awards with more than they came in with.

“VIBE is a moment where we can reflect on the people who, through their drive, thoughtfulness, and community-involved leadership, inspire us to keep striving for greatness. Our guests are always thrilled to attend and learn about our recipients because they have stories that come from the heart. And for the students, our recipients are reminders that they too can achieve success in business while staying grounded to their communities.”

The VIBE awards directly benefit Indigenous students at Asper. Each year, 100% of event proceeds benefit IBEP students through scholarships, bursaries, academic supports, and more.

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IBEP offers tutoring, mentoring, financial aid, and more to Indigenous students pursuing a business degree at the Asper School of Business. The annual VIBE Awards Gala is IBEP’s largest fundraising event for these services. Learn more about the 2025 VIBE Awards here.

Brett MacLaren