Community Day brings hundreds to St. Paul Park refinery

Community News

St. Paul Park, Minnesota, foundation
Employee volunteers with refinery General Manager Holly Jackson (far right) at Community Day 2023. (L to R) Will Schoonmaker, Sarah Streaker, Nick Rainey.
  • Marathon Petroleum’s St. Paul Park, Minnesota, refinery opened its doors to members of the community in September for Community Day.
  • It’s estimated over 500 people attended the unique event that provided visitors a chance to learn more about daily operations at the facility.
  • The event featured a variety of interactive displays from employee volunteers, a large kids’ zone, multiple local food vendors and bus tours around the refinery.

On a warm and windy September afternoon, Marathon Petroleum’s St. Paul Park refinery in Minnesota opened its doors to the community for a unique event held behind the facility’s administration building along St. Paul Park Road. The Community Day drew hundreds of people from the surrounding area.

The event provided visitors a chance to learn more about daily operations at the refinery and included numerous interactive stations set up and staffed by refinery employees representing a variety of departments from Engineering to Information Technology (IT). Attendees could also take a tour of the refinery throughout the day.

 Two young boys enjoy a stop in the cab of a refinery fire engine.
Employee volunteer Luke Reich (in red) shares information about the refinery’s Maintenance & Reliability Department with a Community Day visitor.

“Most people don’t fully understand what goes on behind the fence lines, so this is a way to reach our neighbors in a fun and informal way,” said BreAnna Lockhart, Community Relations Representative at Marathon Petroleum.

Other highlights of the day included demonstrations from the refinery’s fire department, a large kids’ zone full of games and activities for families, and plenty of good food from several local food vendors.

“We were blown away by the turnout, and it has been rewarding to hear so much positive feedback from so many members from the community who attended Community Day,” said Holly Jackson, General Manager of the St. Paul Park refinery.

Employee volunteers from the St. Paul Park refinery at the Community Investments station. (L to R) Amuna Kenyi, BreAnna Lockhart, Bobby Nevarez.
The kids’ zone set up on the refinery grounds.
The community-focused event also had a variety of local food vendors onsite for visitors to try.
In addition to hearing positive feedback during the event from community members, many of them reached out afterwards, sharing their experiences: 
"We just wanted to reach out to let you know how grateful we were for your amazing Community Day event. The whole day was well organized from the tours to each one of the stands that had a little something different and helped tell the story of what you all do at the refinery."
"Just wanted to drop a note to thank Marathon for such an enjoyable day. The weather, food, activities and demonstrations were great."
"I live in The Cottages townhomes in Cottage Grove for Seniors, and I brought four others with me. We all had such a great time. We also learned a lot and thoroughly enjoyed getting to know so many of your wonderful employees."
Holly Jackson, General Manager at the St. Paul Park refinery, stops to talk to a visiting family at the Community Day event.
A firefighter from the St. Paul Park Refinery Fire Department gives a member of the community a tour of the different public safety vehicles on display at the September 2023 event, Community Day.