Marathon helps break ground on new technology center at Illinois college

Community News

Robinson, Illinois, Community
A group of people wearing hard hats use shovels during a groundbreaking ceremony.
Company leaders from Marathon Petroleum help break ground at the site of the new technology center at Lincoln Trail College in Robinson, Illinois.

Key Points

  • Marathon Petroleum leaders joined Lincoln Trail College in Robinson, Illinois, to break ground on a new Career and Technology Training Center expected to open in fall 2027.
  • A $100,000 community investment grant from Marathon is helping support the new facility, which will house process technology, welding and broadband telecommunications programs.
  • The project builds on Marathon’s long-standing support of the college and community, helping expand hands-on education, strengthen the regional workforce and create opportunities for future generations.

A new chapter is taking shape at Lincoln Trail College (LTC) in Robinson, Illinois, where ground has officially been broken on a new Career and Technology Training Center supported in part by Marathon Petroleum.

Members of Marathon Petroleum’s executive leadership team, including Chairman, President and CEO Maryann Mannen, joined college leaders in late September to mark the milestone and see firsthand how continued investment is helping create new opportunities for students and the regional workforce.

Two women stand together and smile for a photo outside a college building.
Marathon Petroleum Chairman, President and CEO Maryann Mannen (left) and Tona Ambrose, Lincoln Trail College President and Vice Chancellor of Institutional Outreach for Illinois Eastern Community Colleges, pose for a photo following the October groundbreaking event.

Marathon Petroleum provided a $100,000 community investment grant toward the new facility, which will provide a new home for LTC’s process technology, welding and broadband telecommunications programs when it opens in fall 2027.

The new center represents another step forward for the college following the March 2023 tornado outbreak that damaged parts of Crawford County and destroyed LTC’s former Chris Center, which housed several of the technical programs.

More than two dozen people stand together for a group photo outside during a groundbreaking event.
Mannen and other members of Marathon Petroleum’s executive leadership team join Robinson refinery employees and leaders for a photo during the September groundbreaking event.

“Marathon has been an important partner in bringing this project to life, and we’re grateful for their continued investment in our students, our college and the future of career and technical education in our community,” said Tona Ambrose, LTC President and Vice Chancellor of Institutional Outreach for Illinois Eastern Community Colleges. “Together, we’re creating exciting opportunities for students to develop the hands-on skills that will help drive our regional workforce.”

“Our Robinson refinery has been part of this community for more than a century, and I’m incredibly proud that Marathon can help create opportunities for the generations who will carry it forward.”

Marathon’s support for LTC extends beyond the latest project. In 2022, the company contributed $1 million toward the college’s multipurpose center, followed three years later by the Robinson refinery’s $100,000 commitment to the new Career and Technology Training Center. Marathon has also awarded $48,000 in scholarships to 12 LTC students over the past three years, with an increased emphasis on students in the Process Technology program.

Mannen and other members of Marathon Petroleum leadership join LTC leaders for a tour of the campus as they make their way to the site of the new Career and Technology Training Center for the groundbreaking event.

"Our Robinson refinery has been part of this community for more than a century, and I’m incredibly proud that Marathon can help create opportunities for the generations who will carry it forward,” said Mannen.

That connection between education and local careers is already taking shape. From 2022 through 2026, more than 20% of operators hired at the Robinson refinery completed LTC’s Process Technology program.

A group of people stand together and talk during an outdoor groundbreaking event.
Mannen meets with local employees from Marathon Petroleum’s Robinson refinery during the groundbreaking event.

“Strong communities and strong local industries depend on having opportunities like this close to home,” said Robert Hicks, Vice President of Refining at the Robinson refinery. “Students gain skills that can lead to rewarding careers, local employers gain access to a talented workforce, and our entire community is better positioned for the future. That’s why investments like this matter.”

The center’s impact is expected to reach beyond the college through partnerships with area high schools, customized employer training and opportunities for workers to build new skills, further strengthening the local workforce and creating more pathways to careers close to home.