NASHWAUK — Over 600 people attended an open house at Mesabi Metallics on Tuesday, Nov. 18.
The company offered a behind-the-scenes look at its new mine, including the state's largest mining trucks.
The June open house restricted visitors to peeking through bus windows to catch glimpses of the site. But this time, they were able to get up close and personal with the massive equipment.
“With our mining equipment on site and ready to operate, we’re entering an exciting new phase as we move closer to full operations,” said President and CEO Joe Broking in a news release.
“This event was a chance to celebrate that progress with the community that’s been behind us every step of the way. Our next focus is building the team — hiring 350 skilled people to help bring this project to life and power the Iron Range’s economy for decades to come.”
While some locals have become vocal advocates for the new operation, some are more cautiously optimistic after decades of back-and-forth with Mesabi Metallics' predecessors.
"You never know what’s going to happen. We’ve been told these things before, there’s no doubt about that,” Tom Whiteside of Hibbing said in June.
“But I’m hopeful. I’m hopefully optimistic. We want the jobs in our region. We want the tax base. We want the mining to happen in our region.”
The star of Tuesday's open house was the 400-ton Komatsu haul trucks, which will be the largest to ever operate in Minnesota. Most haul trucks on the Range are 240 tons.
“What stood out most at the event was the pride and optimism from the people of the Iron Range,” said President and Chief Operating Officer Larry Sutherland in the release.
“This project is creating long-term opportunity, supporting families and strengthening our region. Seeing that excitement firsthand reminds us why this work matters.”
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