MARL Seminar in Duluth – September, 2025

Duluth – NE Minnesota Region: Investing in People – celebrating Mines, Forests and Water.

The drive to the north shore is a unique and beautiful experience. MARL program commitment to “investing in people” and their relationships can be manifested with a shared experience of coming to Duluth with a significant person.  Above is a view of Jay Cooke State Park as captured by family members of MARL Class #13 participants.  We all appreciated the beauty of nature in the Northeast!

What a seminar! Spouses were welcome to join our MARL class seminar in Duluth: Navigating Conflict was the theme. We were fortunate to visit MARL alumni Doug Hoffbauer, class#6 and his wife Lois. We were fortunate to visit their farm featuring pumpkins, Christmas trees, peonies, dahlias and maple syrup.Farmer Doug, Duluth MN, MARL Class #6

Doug shared experiences they have encountered as leaders in the Duluth region, hosting many agritourism groups, growing crops in a shorter growing season zone, raising a family and now transitioning their farm to the next generation and diversifying their produce and experiences.  Doug has served in many capacities as a leader since his MARL experience: Leading in the MN Fruit & Vegetable Growers, MN Christmas Tree Growers Association, to name a few, they serve their community and the larger region in a very active manner. We were fortunate to connect and share with all at Farmer Doug’s https://www.farmerdoug.com/aboutus

Forests & Timber

Minnesota forest resources are many. A crop every 45 to 50 years.  MARL class members joined the MN Forest Resources Council (MFRC) and shared an afternoon with council members in discussion and a tour at the Sappi processing plant, which was very innovative, and then were provided a timber harvest experience on a private landowner site.

Sappi Paper Mill

  • 49% of MN forests are owned by private landowners
  • 17.5 million gallons of water are taken into the mill each day from Duluth, and 17 million gallons go back into the watershed
  • Sappi takes in 6,000 tons of wood each day
  • Excited for the potential of wood (byproduct from digesters) to be used for sustainable aviation fuels = new markets
  • Sappi in Cloquet, MN makes products like paper craft, dissolvable paper, packaging papers, pulp, graphic papers, biomaterials, label & silicon base papers, casting & release papers
  • A forest matures in 45-55 years. The loggers cut mature forest so new healthy trees can grow.
  • Sappi is always out having conversations with private land owners to see if they would be willing to harvest their land, showing them the benefits. 
  • Reflections by Emily Alm – Class #13

Sappi Plant Manager, Jeff Boulden, shared an overview of the industry and innovation that they practice.  A great team of professionals walked MARL and MN Forest Resources Council members through the facility.  Thanks to Rick Horton, MN Forest Industries, for his connections and insights on this special exposure to the resources on private and public lands – TREES. A renewable resource.

Following the Sappi plant tour and realizing the ability to convert trees, such as aspen and maple, into digested fibers for many new innovative products, it was time to see the harvest process.  Out to the forest we traveled and witnessed the cutting, felling, bunching or chipping of trees.  Happens once every 45 to 50 years in our Minnesota forests. Timber grows and renews every day!

Minnesota Forest Resources Council and Sappi Team members were instrumental in providing us a firsthand look at what it looks like during a timber harvest. We were able to view firsthand the equipment and the care invested in our natural resources.  These trees were heading to the Sappi plant for new innovative production, the land would regenerate a new crop and provide some great habitat for wildlife over the next half-century until the harvest cycle repeats itself.

All clear 10 seconds. . . . . . . . . . BOOM!!

Our unexpected treat at the US Steel Minntac taconite/iron ore mine. 

Towards the end of the information presentation, we were informed by the mine crew that if we hurry, we may be able to view today’s shoot (rock blast). We ended the questions, packed up the bus and drove off.

 Following a guided pickup through the mine grounds to an overlook. We made our way through the Minntac grounds, driving by massive mining equipment and the facilities that care for them. After a 10-ish minute drive, we arrived at the overlook for the open-pit mine. 

We gather atop a viewing platform, looking for where the blast would be and realizing how small the mine equipment looked in the massive pit from a distance of 4,000 feet (for safety).

Then the all clear on the radio came in with a 10-second warning. [10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1]

BOOM!! The shoot and the start of our tour of the MINNTAC mine begin. Reflections by Braden French, Class #13

US Steel – MinnTac Mine

  • The Mesabi iron range of MN is 150 long. The iron vein mined goes under Lake Superior, so plenty of iron to mine, but it just comes down to whether it’s economical enough to mine it as they get deeper and deeper.
  • MinnTac uses 250 megawatts of power. Largest single power user in MN. Equivalent to the city of Minneapolis. Their 5 windmills produce 25MW, the rest is hydro power from Manitoba and wind power from ND. 
  • Blast 3-5 times per week

USS  –  Record day of production = trucks loaded in one 12-hour shift was 1,000 loads. Like the truck below X 1,000 in one day!

  • 63% of iron ore pellets are iron; they also add bentonite and dolomite to them. They ship their iron ore pellets that they produce here down to Indiana and Pennsylvania, where the steel factories are located.
  • MN School Trust Fund – interest gained from trusts on natural resources in MN goes into a school trust that gives money to public schools. 
  • Permitting and environmental studies take so long that’s what slows the pace of mining- “MN is at a huge disadvantage for mining compared to other states [because of the slow regulatory process.]”
  • The maximum requirements of sulfate levels in “wild rice designated waters” is a very hot topic right now that more organizations/people should be aware of. 
  • U.S. Steel doesn’t have a lot of layers of management, which makes it operate efficiently. 
  • One truck tire costs ~ $45,000, and there are six tires per truck.

Duluth Port Authority

  • Clearly a special view in the Duluth Port with Kate Ferguson, Director of Trade & Business Development for the Port Authority. Fortunately, Kate was a MARL Class #12 member and shared much with the class on board the Vista Cruize.
  • 3 salt mines under the Great Lakes
  • 30% of trade from Duluth port is with Canada
  • 22 maritime stops in the port (which we saw on tour)
    • Compass minerals salt, Beet pulp pellets to Ireland, oats and wheat, Cruise Ships (NEW this year from a $10 million project to dredge out the port to allow them to dock), golf course sand, grinding balls for iron mining, cargo containers, cement facility, Midwest Energy coal facility, CN iron ore dock, etc…
  • It takes 7 days to travel through the Great Lakes to Duluth 
  • Duluth Port Authority board is comprised of stakeholders from both cities – Duluth and Superior 

13 (1000 footers) on the Great Lakes

16 locks between Duluth and the Atlantic Ocean

1 fully loaded vessel of iron ore full = 70,000 long tons of iron ore pellets

  • Duluth Port Authority board is comprised of stakeholders from both cities – Duluth and Superior 

MARL Class members were able to be accompanied by spouses or significant persons in their lives.  Engaging in key conversations and learning about tools that can enhance life shared with special people.  In MARL, we – “invest in people” even on the sandy beach!

As the MARL cohort left the Port, we were able to witness a Viking Cruise Line with many passengers aboard and intent on a Great Lakes visit.  This Cruise was a shared view of the Great Lakes and the 2,342 miles of waterways in the Great Lakes/Saint Lawrence Seaway System.

Our time in Northeastern Minnesota was revealing, explosive, insightful and regenerating and buoyant – all wrapped up into one seminar.  MARL is focused on “investing in people.” People of Minnesota!

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