Marathon Petroleum’s St. Paul Park refinery was named the City of Newport’s 2023 Business of the Year. The annual award recognizes local, Newport, Minn., businesses for investing in their employees and overall commitment to the community.
Following the results of a recent community survey, the City of Newport, located just north of the refinery, found an overwhelming number of its close to 4,000 residents desired improvements to the city’s Busy Beaver Park. A short time later, Marathon Petroleum presented the City of Newport’s Park Services with a $100,000 Thriving Communities grant to support the renovation project.
“Marathon Petroleum’s St. Paul Park refinery’s recent investment in Busy Beaver Park was critical to helping us get this important project across the finish line,” said Newport Mayor Laurie Elliott. “We just simply couldn’t be doing this without this kind of a community partnership with Marathon. So, from the bottom of my heart, I can’t thank the Marathon team enough for doing this. We’re a small community with small financial resources, and this donation is going to make a really big difference.”
According to Mayor Elliott, Marathon’s investment will greatly enhance the park’s accessibility for young children and modernize the park’s playground equipment. Mayor Elliott said the donation means they can start work on this important community project in 2024 rather than several years down the road.
“This recognition is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our entire St. Paul Park refinery team, who continuously prioritizes the safety and health of our employees and the local communities we proudly serve,” said Holly Jackson, general manager at the St. Paul Park refinery. “Receiving this award is an honor for all of us at Marathon, and we are truly grateful to the City of Newport for choosing us as their 2023 Business of the Year.”
Jackson accepted the award during a special presentation at a city council meeting on Dec. 21.