Employees at Johnston Group take on the role of MC during the organization’s corporate retreat.Supplied
It didn’t take long for Ainsley Rowan-Keogh to feel at home at Johnston Group. Born and raised in Winnipeg, where the employee benefit company is based, Rowan-Keogh was drawn to Johnston Group’s commitment to community engagement.
“The opportunities for community work here feel endless,” says the customer service coordinator, who prioritizes giving back in her personal life. “It means the world to be able to come to a workplace and do the things that you love as well.”
As a member of the Purpose and Contribution Committee, which coordinates volunteers with initiatives, Rowan-Keogh is at the centre of Johnston Group’s giving work.
At the same time, Rowan-Keogh has the opportunity to improve people’s lives on a full spectrum, from one-on-one conversation with clients in her customer care role to volunteer work and large-scale community sponsorships.
Giving is so embedded in the organization that board rooms are dedicated to partnerships, including United Way, the Winnipeg Art Gallery-Qaumajuq and Habitat for Humanity.
“Every day, I’m able to enrich the lives of other people or help make people’s days even just a little better than before you spoke to them,” says Rowan-Keogh.
Her professional and personal volunteer work came together in fall 2025 during Socktober, a sock drive for Main Street Project, a charity supporting vulnerable people in Winnipeg.
Rowan-Keogh, who grew up volunteering with Winnipeg’s unhoused populations alongside her mother, was already an active volunteer with Main Street.
“That’s a cause that’s dear to my heart,” she says. “It’s something I’ve always strived towards and helped every little bit I can.”
Supporting the community is something of a family tradition at Johnston Group as well, says co-president Will Johnston, who shares leadership with his brother, Matt Johnston.
“My dad always felt a responsibility to the staff and, as a local small business, the community at large,” says Johnston, whose father, David Johnston, founded the company in 1983.
As Johnston Group has grown, so has its legacy of giving, which started with United Way, a charitable network with a broad reach in the local community. Today, the company supports over 100 organizations.
Johnston believes that small businesses are the lifeblood of the community — and not only when it comes to giving back. As a group benefits provider, the company helps take care of over 32,000 small businesses nationwide through its products.
“Small businesses are the fabric of the community, and it’s our responsibility to help communities thrive,” says Johnston.
Being anchored to a sense of purpose not only helps drive the company forward in the big picture, but it also creates a work environment where staff feel comfortable showing up as their authentic selves.
“Everyone acts with kindness and generosity towards one another,” says Rowan-Keogh. “Finding a workplace where you feel that way is more than half the battle.”
Feeling comfortable at work means being able to ask questions, learn, and grow in an open and welcoming environment, Rowan- Keogh explains.
“When I get to come to work, I have the opportunity to say how I feel and be myself,” she says. “I don’t feel judged or smaller than the next person.”
Prioritizing a safe and inclusive workplace across generations is an instinctive way of operating for the company, says Johnston.
“It never occurred to me that that would be unimportant. We hope that, through our leadership, we build an environment of safety and trust,” he says.
“Knowing what you stand for helps direct where you’re going. Values are the rudder around here.”
More from Canada’s Best Small and Medium Employers
Advertising feature produced by Canada’s Top 100 Employers, a division of Mediacorp Canada Inc. The Globe and Mail’s editorial department was not involved.