by Noah Cote, Communications Manager, The Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce
“We need to build the city we want to live in.”
Nine years ago, Kevin Selch stood in front of an empty building in Winnipeg’s Exchange District. No bank, no brand, no beer – just a vision and determination. Today, Kevin not only leads Little Brown Jug Brewing Company, but The Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce as our Board Chair.
And just as he turned a vacant building into a vibrant hub of local pride, he now feels the same spark of possibility for Winnipeg’s future.
“I often think back to one of Mayor Scott Gillingham’s analogies from his first State of the City Address – of two rowers in a canoe navigating the rapids at Assiniboine Park. It’s a reminder that teamwork and collective effort are what get us through challenging waters – especially in business.”
Many Winnipeggers will recognize the red-brick brewery and many more the heirloom hop inside Little Brown Jug’s flagship flagon, 1919. But Kevin’s career didn’t start here.
“I was a federal government bureaucrat. I worked as an economist in Ottawa for a decade, during which time I believed good government policy could improve our lives.
One of my proudest accomplishments was creating a database—an effort no one asked me for—that took me nearly 900 hours to build. This effort earned me a spot on missions to Geneva, where I’d work all day and use my jetlag-induced insomnia to generate analytics for the next day’s negotiations. My numbers could go head-to-head with the U.S. Department of Commerce—a notable feat for a scrappy Canadian team.”
Kevin says the most meaningful aspects of his work were offering advice to elected officials, analyzing problems, and innovating where resources were scarce.
As he performed and delivered, he was in turn offered more and more rungs up the ladder. But as he climbed, he realized the guiding light he followed wasn’t coming from the top, but from the hop.
“Meeting with leaders of Canadian companies, I became fascinated by the prospect of starting my own business. After discarding many ideas, craft beer captured my imagination. I had seen firsthand how microbreweries could revitalize neighbourhoods, restore pride, and bring people together – over beer. This brought me to Winnipeg to create Little Brown Jug in the Exchange District.”
Over the last nine years, Kevin leapt over or smashed through the hurdles that come with leading a local business, from navigating access to capital, permitting, regulations, government programs, human resources and the rest.
Now as our Board Chair, Kevin’s mission with The Chamber mirrors that of the business he conceived, started up and grew here in our community: to bring people together, and celebrate hometown pride.
Kevin Selch, Board Chair, speaking moments after being sworn in at The Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce Annual General Meeting 2024
“And The Chamber plays a crucial role in making that happen.”
At The Chamber, Kevin aims to foster this forward momentum, focusing on the importance of entrepreneurship, investment and measurable progress for Winnipeg’s economy.
“When I look around Winnipeg, I see that we have a prosperity problem, but it’s one we can solve. When the Premier said, ‘The economic horse pulls the social cart,’ he was right. But our economic horse needs to learn to run again. It’s not only about more tax dollars for the cart. A thriving economy means both more self-sufficiency and the ability to support those in need. That’s where The Chamber comes in, in representing its members. I look forward to listening carefully to membership and working to achieve tangible outcomes towards prosperity.”
He’s excited to work with The Chamber on upcoming initiatives such as ECONx, a first-of-its-kind economic summit, and our new At The Table series, and continued advocacy on behalf of our membership.
“From downtown development to reconciliation, crime, property crime, tax structure, permitting, and skills training—investment is the lens through which – I think – we should measure progress. Business responds to incentives; that part isn’t complicated. Higher investment leads to innovation, to higher productivity and better wages, and we need to focus on attracting it,”
“I believe in our business community, what we can achieve together, and the kinds of problems we can help solve. With a clear understanding of where we are, I’m confident we can build the city we want to live in.
But we need to build it, together.”
CONNECT WITH KEVIN:
Connect with Kevin at one of our upcoming luncheons. Learn more and register here.
