Big News! Mangrove and Manoverboard Join Forces

Mangrove is starting 2023 with a bang! We are excited to announce that we have formalized an already strong and active partnership with Manoverboard, a fellow B Corp creative agency based in Canada. On January 16, 2023, Mangrove acquired Manoverboard via an equitable and collaborative negotiation that reflects the mutual respect that our two agencies have for one another.

This partnership will magnify Mangrove’s strength and reach as we continue to create award-winning, purpose-driven brands and websites. With the addition of Manoverboard’s expertise, we will be able to take on larger, more complex design and development projects. We will also add new in-house services, including brand and identity design, advanced animations and digital data modeling, more robust website accessibility services, and additional resources related to digital sustainability.

We will retain Mangrove’s core branding, infrastructure, and mission. Manoverboard’s six-person crew in Winnipeg will join Mangrove’s globally distributed staff of 18 to become one robust, cross-functional design and development team. Manoverboard’s former owner and principal, Andrew Boardman, will join Mangrove’s leadership team of Maiya Holliday, Megan Yarnall, and Marie Koesnodihardjo.

Continue reading to learn why this merger is a perfect match and what’s so great about Manoverboard.

Why this merger is the perfect match

Having worked with Manoverboard over the past few years, we know that the team not only creates excellent designs in an organized and tech-savvy way, but is also deeply values-aligned and highly principled in its care for its clients, team and partners.

We are humbled by the potential presented by this merger – two agencies with complementary areas of expertise coming together on the common foundation of our B Corp commitments. We hope that the newly enhanced Mangrove will benefit our clients, Manoverboard’s clients, and the greater B Corp community.

We see the impact of this merger playing out in three main ways.

• We are offering additional services, strengthening our capacity to amplify the voices of change-making organizations around the world.
• We will lean into the process and product improvements that are possible when one agency steers a project from conception through launch.
• As a larger Certified B Corp, where both leadership and team members are dedicated to our mission, we aspire to inject more energy and strength into the movement.

Mangrove has historically focused more heavily on web development projects, working with various design agency partners to bring their designs to life. We have enjoyed many fruitful collaborations, but we have also yearned to grow our internal design capacity to more deeply share our vision and resources throughout the duration of our projects. With Manoverboard’s expertise, we will be able to take on larger, more complex design and development projects more seamlessly and more effectively as a unit. (By the way, we still plan to collaborate with our fantastic partners on various projects)

The merger of two well-regarded Certified B Corps into one powerful agency also reflects the growing strength of the purpose-driven business community. Our combined organization will employ its influence to spread the mission, values and importance of the “triple bottom line” movement to our expanding global audience.

What is so great about Manoverboard? Where do we begin…

The Manoverboard team is simply one of the best design agencies we have worked with. They hold themselves to high standards of integrity, they are kind, and they are intentional. These attributes shine through Manoverboard’s work and how they show up in the world as individuals and as a team. Our leadership team has great respect for Andrew’s leadership style and substance, and we are in awe of his ability to hold complexity with grace and patience.

Manoverboard’s team is made up of incredibly talented individuals, including many designers who are also developers. They approach design with an understanding of how to develop it, and vice versa – these folks are a rare find. Because the team is mostly made of designers or design-oriented thinkers, everything that Manoverboard produces, from internal policies to design files, is refined, precise and beautiful. We are confident that we will up-level our work and our impact by combining the best of both our worlds in project management, design, and website development. Learn more about Andrew, Karen, Dan, Nicky, Jenica and Chloe on our About page.

Past collaborations are a prediction of future excellence

We have collaborated with Manoverboard many times during the past few years, so we know their work and team dynamics quite well. Our recent joint projects include:

• On the Stop Wall Street Looting project for Americans for Financial Reform, Mangrove managed the content strategy and site development, and Manoverboard designed the website. Mangrove researched similar sites and organizations in order to provide a content outline, suggested user actions, and a framework for resources. Manoverboard headed up the design phase with a discovery process that focused on urging users into action by eliciting reactions such as rage and discomfort in the face of the current extractive private equity practices. Read more about the project.
• The CalSEED project was designed by Manoverboard and built by Mangrove. CalSEED wanted to better showcase the entrepreneurs who received support from the fund and highlight their innovative climate solutions. CalSEED’s existing content management structure also needed an overhaul. Manoverboard created compelling, educational animations, which Mangrove built into interactive components. Mangrove refactored the back end to make content easier to add and edit. Read more about the project.
• For Scimar, a biotech company targeting type 2 diabetes, Manoverboard designed an engaging WordPress site that the Mangrove team brought to launch in a speedy six weeks. Manoverboard’s thoughtful user flow and use of motion and graphics communicate Scimar’s message and product in an approachable way. Mangrove’s development work included following site-wide web accessibility guidelines, as well as behind-the-scenes backend customizations to accommodate Manoverboard’s design vision.
• The Culture Reframed project is in the final stages of development. Manoverboard completed a full rebrand, designed the user experience, provided content strategy, and designed the website. Mangrove is building the site, bringing technical expertise to bear. A non-profit, Culture Reframed creates educational toolkits for parents and children to understand and resist hypersexualized media and porn. We look forward to announcing this launch.

Watch us grow, and spread the word!

In case you can’t already tell, we are thrilled to welcome the Manoverboard-ians to Mangrove. We hope you are equally excited to watch how we grow in 2023. Please get in touch if you have questions or a project to talk about. Also, share this news with anyone in your circle who needs a powerhouse digital design agency in its contact list.