Corporate Citizenship - Building the Future

First, a quick plug for our upcoming Career Connect Day on October 15, where we will bring 2,000 high school students together with employers for career exploration. We need you! This year we’ve expanded our invitation to include Minneapolis students… if you haven’t confirmed your table at the event, we still have openings available we are hoping to fill. It’s a short day, from 9 am to 2 pm, and you’ll get to connect with our youth to hear what they are thinking about, and with other businesses. You can register at the link above or connect with [email protected] directly for questions. This event continues to grow – join us this year and you’ll also be in the loop to secure your spot for next Spring’s extension program, for young adults (18-24yo), a Level Up programming/placement day.

Last week I had the opportunity to attend the annual State of the Airport Luncheon, over at the Hyatt Regency in Minneapolis. Always a great event, and this year was especially interesting. Board of Commissioners Chair Rick King shared the airport success “by the numbers”: 19 airlines, 163 destinations, 18th largest in terms of traffic, 168K SF expansion underway at Terminal 2, #1 on- time airport and #1 overall (again!!). Impressive numbers, yes? What I found especially notable – and potentially transformative as it relates to airlines and sustainability – was the news that, as we were meeting, Delta had sent off its first flight from MSP to New York using Minnesota-grown sustainable fuel (SAF). You should be saying “WOW!” because this is a really big deal.

According to Minnesota Star Tribune article on the big event: “The Minnesota SAF Hub, a coalition led by Greater MSP, orchestrated this as part of its larger mission to decarbonize the airline industry, which accounts for about 2% of the world’s emissions of carbon dioxide, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. “This initial SAF delivery is another example of how we are making SAF real in Minnesota and showing the world how to do it right,” said Peter Frosch, president and CEO of Greater MSP, in a news release. “We are highlighting the first SAF flight from MSP International as another major milestone in our push to build a SAF economy anchored in Minnesota.”

Now this initial trip was fueled by MN and ND farmers, partnering with Cargill.  Their efforts are joined by Flint Hills Resources, who also has announced it is in the early phases of developing a SAF blending facility at its Pine Bend refinery, in collaboration with Delta Air Lines. This new facility is being designed to blend jet fuel with 30M gallons of SAF annually, and delivering it to MSP airport via Flint Hills’ existing jet fuel pipeline system.

These companies and more: beyond telling people what they want to hear, they are making changes we can see.​

See you in the trenches,
B