The Hoyt Lakes Shopping Center is home to a new tenant: United Steelworkers Local 1955 opened an office at the location in January 2024.
While the business is primarily focused in Babbit and Silver Bay, the new office space for the union will serve as a homebase for the president and the financial group, among others. A conference area is open to any of the union members and will host safety meetings as well as other types of events.
“We’ve banded together groups like the Iron Range Veterans of Steel and Women of Steel committees,” shared USW Local 1955 President Dan Muhvich. “All six mines up here rotate where they hold meetings. These groups also do a lot of community work.”
Located at 207 Kennedy Memorial Drive, the 100 x 50 square foot building was originally the First National Bank of Hoyt Lakes. At its peak, around 23 people worked inside the building, which features a smaller office area and a conference area.
“USW Local 1955 organized in August of 2023, so North Shore Mining was the last of all the mines on the Iron Range to become organized,” Dan said. “We chose our local number 1955 in recognition of the year that Reserve Mining sent its first train load of ore to Silver Bay.”
For more information about USW Local 1955, you can reach Dan Muhvich at usw1955@yahoo.com. For more information about potential space within the First National Bank of Gilbert’s footprint at the Hoyt Lakes Shopping Center, contact First National Bank of Gilbert President Matt Uhan at matt@gilbertbank.com.
