Excerpt from Senator Norm Coleman’s letter,
read by Dave McMillan, Executive Vice President-Minnesota Power,
at Feb. 9 Centennial Kick-Off:

Norm Coleman sent regrets that he couldn’t be with us today. But we appreciate the Senator sending us a personal message. I’d like to read an excerpt from his letter now, and I quote:

“I heartily congratulate you and the 1,200 employees of Minnesota Power for your remarkable achievement in providing power to generations of Minnesotans.
 
I use the word “power” in the broadest sense, because your company has done so much more than generate, transmit and distribute electricity. Your corporation has empowered thousands of people to build, create and imagine the kind of communities that not only survive but thrive. From serving some of the nation’s preeminent industries with enormous amounts of power to providing a single wire to light a barn, a one-room cabin or a sauna, Minnesota Power has delivered reliable energy year after year, decade after decade.
 
I would also like to thank Minnesota Power and its employees for their generosity, for being a pillar of the region’s United Way effort, for contributing to educational endowments and for serving on volunteer boards and governmental committees. You have been model citizens, on an individual and a corporate level. Thank you for empowering the people of northern Minnesota in many ways. My heartiest congratulations on reaching 100 years!”