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IMA COMMITTEES ' YEAR-IN-REVIEW
BY THE NUMBERS
In the past year the IMA :
• Grew to the highest level of membership - THANK YOU
• Maintained programming
• Stopped damaging legislation
• Advanced relationships statewide to ensure a prosperous industry for the future students understand the importance of iron mining in northern Minnesota and the role it plays in their daily lives . Some changes have been made , and we will continue to focus our efforts on this important resource .
The IMA will be updating and upgrading our website taconite . org and look forward to rolling that out later in 2022 .
In 2022 and 2023 , IMA hopes to continue our “ imagine LiFe without iron ” on a statewide level through MPR and our local media partners at Mesabi Daily and Hometown Focus .
PUBLIC INFORMATION COMMITTEE
The IMA Public Information Committee hit the ground running in 2021 . Focusing our efforts on earned and social media .
In 2022 , the IMA again sponsored high school state tournaments highlighting our commercials focused on 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 is also being used in the digital broadcast of MPR ’ s messaging statewide .
The hope in the past few years was to update IMA ’ s educational curriculum and bring it into the 21st century . The current curriculum is from the 1990 ’ s and needs a refresh . This curriculum is shared throughout the state to help
SAFETY & HEALTH COMMITTEE
The Safety and Health committee strategically met on a regular basis to discuss the COVID-19 regulations roll out , as well as the proper implementation of state and federal guidelines with IMA member companies and the vendor / supplier community to ensure uniformity and consistency .
This group was a strategic partner in ensuring that IMA members were all meeting and exceeding the best management practices outlined by state and federal law . Thank you for using us as a resource , and for being a resource for us during this unprecedented time .
The IMA continues to promote its Taconite Rocks ! curriculum with teachers across the state and beyond . In the past year , teachers and students have learned about Taconite Rocks ! and other iron mining related resources at :
• The Minnesota Minerals Education Workshop ( a funded workshop made possible by the Minnesota Center for Minerals Resource Education ) where 60 teachers spent three days learning about the industry and educational opportunities in minerals , will be revisited in 2022 .
• The Iron Range STEM Festival ( in partnership with SME ), will be revisited in 2022 .
• The MEA Conference in St . Paul , participated virtually .
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