SPOTLIGHT
Fostering youth entrepreneurship in Manitoba through the MNP Don Penny Collaboration Zone
MNP has a long history in and connection with Manitoba. Established in Brandon in 1958, the firm has since expanded to locations across Canada, but Manitoba will always be our hometown. When the opportunity arose to partner with Assiniboine Community College to create a collaborative space for Manitoba’s current and future business community, the firm seized the chance to make a difference.
MNP donated $1 million to the creation of the MNP Don Penny Collaboration Zone at Assiniboine Community College’s Prairie Innovation Centre in honour of the firm’s late co-founding partner. Don Penny was a lifelong Manitoban with an enduring loyalty to Brandon, and this investment in the province’s entrepreneurial community reflects both his visionary legacy and the values he fostered at MNP.
“Don Penny’s warmth and charisma made him the consummate people person who was known to lead with both his head and his heart. He believed in people, in discovery, in technology, and in hard work — exactly the activities that will take place in this new Prairie Innovation Centre,” says Jason Tuffs, MNP's Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer.
The Prairie Innovation Centre has the potential to make an incredible impact in the community – and it made perfect sense for MNP to live its values of fostering young entrepreneurship while honouring one of the co-founders responsible for instilling those values within the firm.
The MNP Don Penny Collaboration Zone will bring students, business leaders, legislators, and academics together to share their ideas, brainstorm solutions, and apply their knowledge in new and unexpected ways. It also reflects one of MNP’s key priorities: fostering youth entrepreneurship in the community.
Entrepreneurship has been a core value at MNP since the firm was established and has played an essential role in our continued success. Supporting the construction of the new Collaboration Zone is just a part of MNP’s efforts to support the next generation of Canada’s young entrepreneurs through education and mentorship initiatives.
“When this opportunity was presented, it wasn’t a long or hard decision for us. We felt the Prairie Innovation Centre represents what Don was all about — bringing visionary minds together to create successful activations that got results. The fit couldn’t be more ideal,” says Jason.
The MNP Don Penny Collaboration Zone is currently under construction and is projected to open in fall 2026. MNP is looking forward to seeing its impact in the community and the new innovations that will be created from the collaborations in this space.
“Don Penny’s warmth and charisma made him the consummate people person who was known to lead with both his head and his heart. He believed in people, in discovery, in technology, and in hard work — exactly the activities that will take place in this new Prairie Innovation Centre."
Jason Tuffs, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, MNP