Mesabi Metallics gifts $15,000 to Minnesota North College

While the Mesabi Metallics project has continued to move toward completion, officials from the mining company have been actively trying to form connections with area educators with an eye on the future of the mining industry in northern Minnesota.

As part of that process, Mesabi Metallics officials recently announced that the company had made a $15,000 funding gift to Minnesota North College in support of the diesel technician program there.

The money will be used toward purchasing tools and equipment and the program will use the donation to match a leveraged equipment fund available to them to make the purchase possible, according to a news release from Mesabi Metallics earlier this week.

Ben DeNucci, head of public relations and government affairs for Mesabi Metallics, told the Mesabi Tribune this week that it’s important for Mesabi Metallics to interact with the local Minnesota North College campuses about what their facility needs from a skilled worker perspective today and especially over the next several years.

“We feel it is important to support their endeavors to enable them to educate the skilled workers needed at Mesabi Metallics and elsewhere on the Iron Range,” DeNucci said. “We feel it continues a trend we started with our first donation $10,000 funding gift to the Industrial Mechanical Technology program at the Mn North College Eveleth Campus back in November of 2023. The funds were used to purchase a new, robust TIG welder for the program.”

Mesabi Metallics President and COO Larry Sutherland said by email this week that Mesabi Metallics had been looking to donate to Minnesota North Colleges to support the education they provide to the mining region.

He said diesel mechanic positions are critical to mining operations—from work on the large haul trucks and diesel shovels that load the ore into the haul trucks, to the numerous diesel support equipment such as road graders, wheel loaders, track crawlers, and numerous types of diesel support equipment throughout the company’s operations.

“As Mesabi Metallics moves our project forward to completion, as we are actively doing, we feel it important to engage our local Minnesota North College campuses to have an important interaction and dialogue with them, over our facility needs from a skilled worker perspective, and build a strong working relationship with them that will last well into the future as we have long term needs for the skilled workers that they educate for job placements in our local region of northern Minnesota,” Sutherland said. “As we grow this critical advocacy with them, we feel it’s important to support their endeavors to enable the education of the future skilled workers for our large industrial base here.”

Jessalyn Sabin, Academic Dean, Career and Technical Education for Minnesota North College, said diesel technology is a field with excellent employment opportunities on the Iron Range.

“Investments in our programs support the learning of students that infuse our communities with talent and skills. Our local workforce is the basis for our community’s prosperity, and the college is proud to be part of that journey for students,” Sabin said.

Sutherland said he has watched the Minnesota North Colleges grow and become more industry concentric over his long industrial career on the Iron Range and that “they do an incredible job assisting those of us with jobs to fill, while benefiting all our young adults looking to live and stay in our Northern Minnesota communities with high-paying jobs.”

He added that because of that Mesabi Metallics is proud to support them and all they do.

“I have always felt they filled a critical role and performed an exemplary job as educators of our large industrial base skilled worker education and training requirements here on the Iron Range of northern Minnesota, and believe the consolidation of their college campuses from across the Iron Range into what is now known as the Minnesota North Colleges, was a complimentary improvement to their educational format with many synergies to assist all of us in this industrial setting, as well as a great benefit to all of our young adults looking to live and stay in our northern Minnesota communities and enable them with the required education and training to participate in the high paying jobs provided here,” Sutherland said. “We are proud to be a part of this endeavor and look forward to our continued relationship and support of them and all they do.”