The Graf-Martin Story - Taking Our Place in Canadian Women’s History!

March is Women’s History Month - a very inspiring time for us at Graf-Martin Communications! 

When Eleanor Roosevelt said, “Nothing has ever been achieved by the person who says, ‘It can’t be done.’,” she could easily have been speaking to the work ethic of our Founder & President, Ellen Graf-Martin.  Through many years of saying “How might we do this?,” instead of, “It can’t be done,” Graf-Martin’s team has made their own contributions to women’s history. 

Ellen started her entrepreneurship journey on Vancouver Island at 11 years old through a succession of creative entrepreneurial ventures. While her short-lived “garden sitting” endeavour was a definite failure, her early foray into print advertising and paper-route subcontracting achieved modest success. However, in 2008, with significantly more life and marketing experience under her belt, when she was asked, “Would you start your own agency?,” she answered, “Why not?”. At that moment, she acquired her first client (who stayed with the organization for 14 years) and Graf-Martin Communications was born, adding its name to the just 1% of North American ad and marketing agencies owned and controlled by women. 

Graf-Martin Communications then became the first Brand Academy certified agency in Canada and developed a purpose-built brand strategy system to support charities and non-profit organizations. 

Change or Die?

In 2020, as the world shut down, Ellen joined the first cohort of the Women’s Entrepreneurship Accelerator Program through Wilfrid Laurier’s Lazaridis School of Business. Through the program, we identified opportunities and investments necessary to better serve the organizations making our communities and our world more hopeful, just and generous. 

While it took grit, it paid off. 

In 2023, Graf-Martin worked through a rigorous process to be certified as a Canadian woman-owned business with the Women Business Enterprises Canada Council, becoming one of just over 700 across the country. 

Also in 2023, Ellen was inducted into Canada’s Marketing, Advertising & PR Hall of Fame for her contributions to the Canadian marketing sector. The Hall of Fame recognizes individuals who have played a meaningful, longstanding (10+ years) role in contributing to one or various businesses' success. Inductees have also led a career that’s involved breakthroughs, firsts and contributions to the marketing, advertising, PR and communications industry, as a whole.

Since August 2024, Graf-Martin has significantly expanded its team by 69%, adding the equivalent of 3.5 full-time employees or contractors, and gaining certification as a Living Wage Employer. 

As a social enterprise,  The Graf-Martin team has come alongside other female-led organizations in the Waterloo Region, like Waterloo Region Family Network, Christian Horizons, The Pregnancy Centre, Kate’s Kause, Colleen Cares Foundation, and COMPASS Refugee Centre. Each of these incredible organizations, their staff and volunteers, and those they serve deserved the world-class communications and brand support available to Canada’s largest charities - and they received it right here at home.

By living out their values of hope, generosity and justice, and fostering a sense of belonging and empowerment, Graf-Martin is helping change history, one brand strategy, PR campaign, or marketing plan at a time.