Jeff’s Story
From the military, firehouse and classroom to the mine site, Jeff has spent nearly 20 years making the world a safer place – now, he’s bringing that passion to NewRange Copper Nickel. In this month’s employee spotlight, meet Jeff Mayer, our Safety Coordinator and a lifelong Iron Ranger dedicated to our most important core value: Ensuring everyone goes home safe and healthy every day.
Although a career in safety was not his original plan, Jeff has described it as the perfect fit. Originally from Embarrass, Minnesota, Jeff started out in criminal justice with plans to become a law enforcement officer. But life had other plans as he transitioned into firefighting as a volunteer Fire Chief. He also served four years in the Air Force and four in the Navy.
Mining has always been a part of Jeff’s world – his dad worked at LTV Steel for 40 years and he actually got his first taste of the industry when he briefly worked as a summer laborer. Keeping busy is in his nature, as he worked multiple jobs during his undergraduate studies and started part-time in mine safety on the mine rescue team.
For the past 19 years, Jeff has also worked for the Minnesota North College teaching a variety of classes, including mine safety, and occupational safety and health. Over the years, he has trained miners across the region and built his career making workplaces safer and smarter. “I’ve taught at most taconite mines up here. I’ve been in and out of mining for many, many years, so I’ve had a long background in mining,” says Jeff.
Jeff has been at NewRange just over of two years. What brought him here? He says that it was the team and their open communication, camaraderie and the fact that people genuinely enjoyed coming into work each day. Jeff had been doing safety training at NewRange prior to joining the team and saw firsthand the culture here, and it all clicked.
As the Safety Coordinator at NewRange, no two days are the same. Some days he is out performing field inspections, other days observing the site or just connecting with the team to understand their experiences. Part of why he enjoys the job is because of the change in the day-to-day work. And what he appreciates is that both his team and leadership truly value safety, not just as a box to check, but as a core value of the company culture. As NewRange transitions from permitting to construction, and then eventually to mining operations, Jeff sees exciting challenges ahead. He is looking forward to helping make sure safety is front and center as NewRange grows.
Outside of work, whether it’s hiking or just enjoying the warm weather, Jeff and his wife are all about the outdoors. Having lived in both rural and urban areas, he’ll take the Iron Range’s welcoming community and fresh air any day. “I love where I live, which is one of the reasons I’m particularly interested in this project, because I live here, I play here and I want to see it thrive.”
His parting advice for anyone interested in breaking into the mining world: be a team player. Be willing to work and learn what is put in front of you, and work with people instead of against them. And if you see Jeff around, ask him about safety – just don’t expect a boring answer.
Quick Questions
What do you wish more people knew about mining?
I think just the change over time in the mining industry. Between growing up on the Range, having a parent who worked in mining, and his own experiences, I have seen firsthand how much the industry has changed, on the Range, across the country, and around the world. Our commitment is totally different. I really like how we are engaging with the community and Tribal Nations.
What drew you to work for NewRange specifically?
From when I was here just prior to this job opening up, I had come out to teach a class and thought that it was cool how the employees hung out with each other. I saw a lot of camaraderie and just kind of a family feel to it, a good team, and just talking with them and getting a feel for that over a couple days of training. I thought that’d be a pretty cool place to work for. Well, when I saw that job opening coming, I was like, You know what? I’m just going to throw in and see what happens and I’ll be honest, I haven’t regretted it one day, not at all. I love it here.
What aspect of your work at NewRange are you most proud of?
It definitely says a lot about the company when it puts health and safety as the first line of their mission statement. We are starting a foundation with a culture that says safety is a priority, and everybody’s going to go home safe no matter what and that we are going to work with you on that.
What are your favorite parts about living on the Iron Range?
It’s a beautiful area to live in. For six months out of the year, there are no mosquitoes, and the other six months you have summers where you are able to go sit out on the deck and enjoy the nice day.
When you’re not working, where can someone find you?
My wife and I love hiking up here. You can pick any direction, go somewhere and find a beautiful hike of just about any ability, length, or duration, which is absolutely fantastic. Or you can go to Duluth or Minneapolis where you have more restaurants, but you pick your favorites up here, and usually they do pretty good. We like going to Grandma’s Inn – there was always good food there.