BATON ROUGE — Marathon Petroleum Company of Garyville was recently awarded the Lantern Award for the Bayou Region as presented by Louisiana Economic Development.

Lantern Award winners are selected based on excellence in manufacturing and outstanding service to their communities through the involvement of their businesses and employees.

Nominated by Parish President Natalie Robottom and Economic Development staff, Marathon Petroleum LP was selected by the South Central Planning and Development Commission for the Bayou Region which includes St. John the Baptist, Terrebonne, Assumption, Lafourche, Ascension, St.  James, St. Charles and St. Mary Parishes.

LED Secretary Don Pierson presented the award to David Foster, Garyville Refinery Vice President who was accompanied by Jim Manning, Environment, Safety, and Security Manager, Monica Hagar, HR Manager and Lavelle Edmondson Corporation State Government Affairs Manager.

Robottom and CAO Laverne Toombs also attended the private award ceremony and reception at the Governor’s Mansion in Baton Rouge.

“Congratulations to Mr. Foster and the Marathon family for receiving this prestigious award,” Robottom said. “Marathon Petroleum takes great pride in producing the highest quality products for distribution nationally and internationally. They are also committed to the community as evidenced by their financial contributions as well as their volunteerism.”

The Garyville refinery processes a wide variety of crude oils into gasoline, distillates, fuel-grade coke, asphalt, polymer-grade propylene, propane, refinery-grade propylene, dry gas, slurry and sulfur for use worldwide.

The refinery has access to the export market and multiple options to sell refined products.

A major expansion project was completed in 2009 that increased Garyville’s crude oil refining capacity, making it one of the largest refineries in the U.S.

— Submitted by St. John Communications.