Ravinder Minhas, Manjit Minhas Join CEBL, Stingers Ownership Group
Dragons’ Den star Manjit Minhas becomes first female owner in CEBL history
The Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) and Stingers Entertainment Group announced Wednesday that Ravinder Minhas and Manjit Minhas have become partners of the CEBL and the Edmonton Stingers. Manjit, who becomes the first female owner in CEBL history, and her brother Ravinder join Taranvir ‘Tank’ Vander and James Burns of Stingers Entertainment Group as Managing Partners of the Stingers and investors in the CEBL.
“We are pleased to welcome Manjit and Ravinder to the Stingers Entertainment Group and CEBL ownership teams,” said Tank Vander, Managing Partner of Stingers Entertainment Group. “They bring a rich history of success in Alberta business, and their investment in our team and league speaks to their dedication to the continued growth of basketball. We are excited to welcome them into our organization as we continue working towards the upcoming season.”
Ravinder and Manjit are the co-founders of Minhas Breweries & Distilleries – the creators of Boxer Lager, Mountain Crest and other popular beverage brands. Minhas products can be found in more than 1,100 stores across Alberta and international retail clients include Trader Joe's, HEB, Sam’s Club and Walmart.
Among their many accomplishments, the siblings ascended their companies to a portfolio of products with annual revenues topping $250 million, acquired the second-oldest brewery in the United States - the Minhas Craft Brewery in Monroe, WI - in 2006 and opened the state-of-the-art Minhas Micro Brewery in their hometown of Calgary, Alberta in 2012. In addition, Minhas is now producing boutique brands including Artingstall's Brilliant London Dry Gin in collaboration with Hollywood luminary Paul Feig, and MONEYBAG™ Vodka – an ultra-premium, 10x distilled luxury vodka created with Harlo Entertainment and rock legend Gene Simmons.
“We're ecstatic to be joining the Stingers and the CEBL,” said Ravinder Minhas. “From cheering on the Raptors courtside to sponsoring the Milwaukee Bucks, anyone who knows me knows I'm an avid basketball fan. But when Tank and Jamie invited us to a Stingers game, I was completely blown away by the quality of the on-court action and energy of the crowd. Manjit and I are excited to become part owners of the CEBL as well as the Stingers. This league has tremendous potential for growth.”
Day-to-day operations of the Stingers organization will remain unchanged with a continuing focus on community involvement and outreach initiatives that earned the club the CEBL’s
2023 Community Champion Award.
“The majority of our beer sales in our early days actually came from Edmonton and Northern Alberta, and it remains a key market for us, so we're grateful for the opportunity to get even further involved in the community,” said Manjit Minhas. “And there's no question the Stingers have quickly become an integral part of the city. The leadership they've shown in Edmonton is inspiring.”
Individually, Ravinder became a founding board member of Canada Jetlines in 2021, a growing airline with six Airbus A320 aircrafts and destinations across Canada and around the world. He is a prominent member of the Alberta Sikh community and a Calgary Stampede Board Director.
Manjit has become a well-known personality over the past 10 seasons of CBC's Dragons' Den. She also sits on the boards of organizations such as Enbridge and ATB Financial. She was appointed Honorary Lieutenant-Colonel of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) to the Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada in 2023.
“The CEBL and Stingers are very fortunate to add high-profile owners with incredible business acumen like Ravinder and Manjit,” said Mike Morreale, Commissioner & Co-Founder of the Canadian Elite Basketball League. “Their decision to invest in our Edmonton franchise and our vibrant CEBL brand is proof of the strength of our league as we continue to expand our fan base and community impact across Canada.”
The Stingers open the 2024 campaign Tuesday, May 21 in a nationally televised (TSN) game against the Calgary Surge at Scotiabank Saddledome. Two road games will follow before they return home to host the Saskatchewan Rattlers in their home-opener Sunday, June 2. Tickets are on sale now at
thestingers.ca/tickets or via
Ticketmaster.
About the CEBL
A league created by Canadians for Canadians with a mission to develop Canadian players, coaches, sports executives, and referees, the CEBL boasts the highest percentage of Canadian players of any pro league in the country with 73% of its 2023 rosters being Canadian. Players bring experience from the NBA, NBA G League, top international pro leagues, the Canadian National team program, and top NCAA programs as well as U SPORTS. Fourteen players have signed NBA contracts following a CEBL season, and numerous CEBL players attend NBA G League training camps every year. The CEBL season runs from May through August. More information about the CEBL is available at CEBL.ca and @cebleague on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook & YouTube.
About the Edmonton Stingers
The Edmonton Stingers play a 20-game season from May to August in the Canadian Elite Basketball League, the top professional league in Canada with 10 teams in major markets from coast-to-coast. The Stingers joined the league in its inaugural season in 2019 and have twice been crowned CEBL Champions (2020, 2021). Playing in the 3,600 seat Edmonton Expo Centre, the Stingers organizational mandate is to offer affordable, family-friendly fun and be a positive force in the community. The Stingers ran numerous impactful initiatives in Edmonton in 2023, including replacing over 500 mesh nets around the city, raising $500,000 to refurbish public school courts, and providing 400 new basketball shoes to a local charity for youth athletes, leading to the 2023 CEBL Community Champion Award. The team also launched The Stingers Foundation in 2023, a registered non-profit charitable arm of the club.
