This month Gary Flesland retired as Operations Manager of the Hibbing facility after 44 years of service to MDI, effective July 7. Andy Tracy was promoted to the Hibbing Operations Manager position, filling the vacancy created by Flesland.
Rod Wood, MDI Vice President of Operations said, “We are sad to see Gary leave MDI. Gary joined us in 1973, as a warehouse supervisor in Saint Paul. He took a chance, moved his family up North, and has been the only operations manager to oversee the Hibbing plant since it opened in 1992. It’s been 44 years in total. Gary’s made a real positive and lasting impact on the lives of many employees over the years.”
When asked about retiring, Flesland said, “It isn’t easy leaving a company I’ve been part of for 44 years. I have enjoyed MDI, and will always be part of the MDI family. It isn’t often a person is given the opportunity to start up and run a plant of this size for so long. It’s certainly been a journey seeing the changes over the years. I am confident in MDI’s future and know Andy will provide good leadership for the days to come.”
In announcing the appointment of Andy Tracy as the Hibbing Operations Manager, Wood said, “We knew Andy would be the right fit. Andy’s worked at MDI for 10 years in various capacities – line work, line lead, employment service case manager, quality technician, and assistant operations manager. Gary’s shoes will be hard to fill, but we have high expectations with Andy and look forward to many more years of success in Hibbing.”
In Tracy’s new role as Operations Manager, he will oversee the Hibbing Facility daily operations including manufacturing, quality control, scheduling, and warehouse operations. Andy is also the on-site company representative for the new facility currently being constructed in Hibbing.
“I’m looking forward to building on the superior work Gary has done over the years,” said Tracy. “Only good things to come, especially with the new Hibbing facility. It will have double the building space to support more business and provide better working conditions for employees. Exciting times for MDI and the Hibbing community.”
Download the full media release.
