APG Specialty Publications 00_IRON_MINING_ASSN_20_BOOK | Page 20

IMA COMMITTEES' YEAR-IN-REVIEW
In addition, we hope members new and old
had a great time at the 27th Annual IMA Golf
Outing in August at Giants Ridge! We, once
again, had a full house; 203 golfed in the
event, and another 20 joined for dinner only.
Thank you to all our sponsors and all who
donated raffle prizes to make this another
great event!
There are changes in store for the 2020
Annual Dinner. In previous years, the event
rotated between Duluth and the Iron Range,
and it is going back to its roots with a
location change. We hope to see you at Pier
B in Duluth on December 3rd, 2020!
PUBLIC INFORMATION
COMMITTEE
The IMA Public Information Committee hit
the ground running in 2019. Utilizing the 30
second ad focused on Minnesota’s proud
legacy of exploring the wilderness and
building our nation, and the 15 second ad
focused on the economic impact of mining
iron in Minnesota the IMA, kicking off another
successful advertising season.
and answering fairgoers’ questions about
Minnesota iron!
The IMA also made efforts to promote the
association itself, above and beyond the iron
mining industry as a whole. In 2019, IMA-
specific messages ran on TPT Twin Cities
during legislative session. IMA also once
again sponsored Kid’s Day at the St. Louis
County Fair. Thank you to the IMA members
who volunteered to keep our booth fully
staffed; we always have a great time at the
county fair watching parents who work in
our industry share what they do with their
children!
In 2020, IMA hopes to continue our “imagine
LiFe without iron” on a statewide level at the
MSHSL State Tournaments and the State Fair.
Some of our efforts were curtailed this year
as we created and launched a website titled,
Natural Allies – naturalalliesmn.com.
These commercials all continued to progress
the “imagine LiFe without iron” message,
reminding Minnesotans how Minnesota’s
dedicated, responsible, and innovative iron
mining industry impacts their everyday lives.
This same message was also used during
IMA’s sponsorship of the Grandma’s
Marathon livestream, a geo-fencing
campaign of the Duluth Canal, and at the
Minnesota State Fair in 2019 – the same
day we had a table in Dan Patch Park for
MPR Day. Thank you to the members who
helped volunteer to keep our booth staffed
SAFETY & HEALTH COMMITTEE
Much of the groundwork for 2019’s IMA
Safety & Health Committee issues was laid
out in 2018. In late 2019, MSHA started to
implement the workplace exam rules created
in 2017 after removing the new rules created
and placed in 2018. This has created some
difficulty in understanding the effects and
the requirements members will have to meet
in order to fulfill meeting the standards
imposed by the new rule.
Bryan Baird of United Taconite has
successfully led the committee as its new-
ish chairperson. He has directed efforts
effectively and most recently met with MSHA
and other officials to ensure IMA member
compliance for current rules.
20 | Iron Mining Association of Minnesota