• Marathon Petroleum’s Canton, Ohio, terminal expanded the student field day to two days in 2025, bringing in more than four times the number of participants compared to the previous year.
• Close to 300 students from area high schools and trade schools explored hands-on stations led by employees and got a real-world look at careers in the energy industry.
• The event emphasized how Marathon Petroleum and local partners are helping students discover what’s possible after graduation.

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After a successful debut last year, the field day hosted by Marathon Petroleum Corporation’s (MPC) light product terminal in Canton, Ohio, came back even stronger in 2025. What started as a one-day event grew into a two-day experience, giving even more students a hands-on look at careers in skilled trades and the oil and gas industry.

To help make it happen, the terminal team once again teamed up with Stark Education Partnership, an organization that connects local schools with real-world workforce opportunities, along with local agencies and contractors who played a key role in making the two-day event a success. Held in May, this year’s event brought in just under 300 students from high schools and trade schools across Stark County, far more than last year.

“We couldn’t be happier with this year’s turnout and, once again, how everyone came together to make this event an even greater success than our first,” said Whitney Reinhart, Canton Terminal Operations Manager.

“There are so many people here with different jobs, and everyone has to do their part for this place to succeed. It was really cool to see.”

Reinhart played a key role in planning and coordinating the event, which featured more than a dozen interactive stations and dozens of employees from MPC’s Canton-area operations, giving students a real behind-the-scenes look at the work that keeps things moving.

“Students today need to see it, feel it and experience it,” Reinhart added. “If they’re not doing that, they don’t get the full effect of what it’s like to be an employee at MPC.”

To pull it off, teams from Logistics & Storage Terminals, Refining, Transport, Marathon Pipe Line, Marketing, Supply Chain, and Health, Environment, Safety & Security came together to share what they do and how their roles connect to the bigger picture.

“It really is that hands-on application that makes this event so unique,” said Andrew Schulze, Terminal Operations Area Manager at MPC. “Rather than hear about it in the classroom or be told about a career opportunity, they got to put their hands on it.”

From exploring equipment to asking questions directly to the people working in the field, the two-day event gave students a chance to see just how many paths there are to a career with MPC.

“There are so many people here with different jobs, and everyone has to do their part for this place to succeed,” said one student. “It was really cool to see.”

Another student shared, “The thing that surprised me most about my experience at Marathon was the sheer number of people willing to help us progress in our careers and show us what options are really out there.”

From running an excavator and learning about firefighting to exploring the roles of engineers and operators and the science that keeps a terminal and refinery running safely and smoothly, the experience offered something for everyone.

“Hopefully, in the future, they’ll be interested in these professions and come work for us,” said Regina Zolnor, Vice President of Terminals at MPC. “This is a great win-win for our company and for the community we’re proud to be part of.”