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16 stories exploring community development across the city.
In Westman, a coalition of educators, ISPs and volunteers runs digital literacy labs, pop-up tech clinics, and farmer-focused workshops, reshaping small-town life by connecting residents to telehealth, markets, education and each other.
Across Westman, entrepreneurs are not just opening shops; they're rescuing downtowns, creating jobs, and remaking possibilities. By blending innovation with local values, Brandon and nearby towns are forging a resilient rural economy grounded in community.
Claire MacKinnon’s decade-long project melds downtown revitalization, local food innovation, and workforce training in Brandon. Her Prairie Commons incubator demonstrates how small-scale investment, civic partnerships, and stubborn optimism reshape regional economies and everyday lives.
In Brandon and nearby towns, a grassroots initiative—the Westman Community Land Trust—has converted vacant buildings into affordable homes, incubators and green spaces, reshaping economic opportunity while centering residents’ needs and local culture.
Across Brandon and the Westman region, community-led projects are remaking downtowns, health care, and housing—rooting people in place while adapting to a changing economy and climate.
In Brandon, Amina Hassan's Bridge & Loaf bakery doubles as a classroom, supplier hub, and anchor for downtown renewal—showing how a single rural enterprise can reshape local economies, training, and food systems.