Port Profile

Keeping a good eye on a whole new world

While growing up in Hibbing, in the heart of Minnesota's famed Mesabi Iron Range, Steve Raukar's knowledge of commercial transportation was limited to trucks and trains - enormous trucks that hauled ore to the tracks; long, groaning, fabulously powerful trains that carried ore away from the Range and down to the shores of Lake Superior, a world away.

For the young Steve Raukar, that was pretty much the end of the story, though he did realize that sometime later the ore would return, in the form of automobiles and refrigerators and the like.

These days, Mr. Raukar's transportation education is being completed: As the newest member of the Seaway Port Authority of Duluth Board of Commissioners, he is getting a master's degree in maritime commerce.

"It has been rather eye-opening," he said of his first few months' experience on the Board. "I'm beginning to understand how important the Port is, not only to the region but in the whole world.

"I've been surprised to learn the Port's volume of commerce, the kind of commercial impact it has in terms of real dollars. It has been exciting to learn of its potential. It's an ever-growing business.

"I've also been surprised to learn the number of ports that lie between here and the East Coast, the number of ports in the world and the fierce level of competition for international commerce and to be the entry point to the Midwest."

Mr. Raukar was appointed to the Port Authority Board in January by the St. Louis County Board of Commissioners. He was originally elected to his County Board seat in 1989. He now serves on 18 committees, boards and commissions and serves as chair of the Arrowhead Economic Opportunity Agency, the Northeast Waste Advisory Council and the County Board's Public Works and Transportation Committee. He is vice chair of the Arrowhead Regional Development Commission.

The County Board named Mr. Raukar to the Port Authority Board to succeed Herbert R. Lamppa of Tower, Minn. Mr. Raukar has great respect and affection for Mr. Lamppa and calls him a guide and mentor.

The County Board appoints two of the Port Authority's seven commissioners. Three are appointed by the Duluth City Council and two by the governor of Minnesota. Each appointment is for six years.

Mr. Raukar comes to his newest role with a rich and varied background.

His work experience includes eight years as an advertising consultant with the Hibbing Daily Tribune, a stint as an art and photography teacher in Nashwauk, Minn., and a maintenance mechanic apprenticeship in the taconite mining industry. He also worked in the information office of then-Lt. Gov. Rudy Perpich as liaison to the Minnesota State Art Board and the State Bicentennial Commission. Also, he served six years as a member of the Hibbing School Board.

He is a 1974 graduate of St. Cloud University, with a degree in K-12 art education. He and his wife, Patricia, have two children and two grandchildren.

Photography continues to be an important part of his life. It's the medium he uses to capture the essence of his world, he said. His color photographs are currently displayed on the walls in the corridor outside his office in the County Courthouse in Hibbing. The exhibit will move to the Virginia Courthouse later this year. Mr. Raukar has a fine eye, and the pictures' crisp captions hint at a wry sense of humor.

Mr. Raukar is looking forward to growing with his Board experience, and to serving.

"Right now I'm on the learning curve. I'm trying to be a good listener. It's interesting to sit on a board with representation throughout Minnesota and with a bipartisan makeup."

The nature of the Port's day-to-day business also is intriguing to the Auth-ority's newest Board member. "This really keeps my attention," he said. "It forces me to think globally.

"The Port is a little-known gem in the rough. But it reaches far beyond Duluth and the Midwest. There's not a lot of public awareness of how it serves the region.

"I'm really pleased to be involved with the Port as a policy maker. Maritime commerce is such a huge area. This is a new connection with a whole new world."