Longtime Flint Hills Employee Retires, Heads to Guatemala

Flint Hills Pine Bend Refinery has lost a good man. Romeo Maldonado, a Lakeville resident who has worked for the company for 27 years, retired Aug. 25. He worked as part of the refinery’s fire department, as well as a coker at the refinery.

“It’s hard; you kind of miss all the guys. It’s going to be tough,” Maldonado, 61, said.

"He has given a lot, and he has been a very important [asset] to Flint Hills," said Jake Reint, director of public affairs with Flint Hills Resources.

Although Maldonado will especially miss a few of his longtime co-workers, he is really looking forward to the next chapter in his life.

Maldonado is originally from a town called San Lucas Tolimán, which is located about 90 miles northwest of Guatemala. Besides occasionally traveling there, he hasn’t spent any real time in the city since he moved to Minnesota in the early ‘70s. Fortunately, he will be visiting his hometown again this month for an extended period of time, and his entire family still lives there.

“I’m excited to leave and start my journey,” he said.

Maldonado is well aware of the current struggles residents of his town have been facing. The town is “very poor,” according to Maldonado, and there is an indigenous Mayan population that makes up the bulk of its residents. He hopes to share his knowledge and experiences of what he’s learned at the refinery to teach fire safety, modern firefighting, and emergency rescue techniques to the San Lucas Tolimán Fire Department.

And he hopes to make a difference.

“I will volunteer and show the fire department how to respond to different emergency needs, [such as] what to do in those first important minutes [that are so crucial] to a person’s life,” Maldonado said.

The fire department has been open for about 1-2 years and Maldonado hopes to finish organizing, and reorganizing, the department as needed.

"He has a big heart, and is certainly someone who is selfless-and that is evident with what he's trying to do," Reint said. "We know he'll use his [fire fighting] training well in his next [endeavor]. We (Flint Hills) are very supportive of what Romeo is doing; he's an exceptional person."

Maldonado also hopes to achieve more community involvement. I wish to give back to the community because they were very good to me growing up, he said.

“My family is [also] very happy. It seems to be that they are waiting for me [to return],” Maldonado said. “My dad is 90, so I want to be around him for awhile. I lost my mom almost two and a half years ago.”

Maldonado originally moved to Minnesota after meeting his first wife through the Diocese of New Ulm. He has two daughters. He has since been remarried to his wife, Maria, for 13 years. She will not be accompanying him to San Lucas Tolimán, but she does plan on visiting.

Flint Hills Resources hopes to either provide funding for Maldonado's mission or give some equipment to the San Lucas Tolimán Fire Department. Reint said Flint Hills is still looking into ways they will be able to help, if possible.

Below is information about where to send donations to fund Maldonado's work in San Lucas Tolimán, Guatemala.

San Lucas Mission

Contact: Kathy Huebert

1400 - 6th Street North

New Ulm, Minnesota 56073

Telephone: 507-359-2966 ext. 304

Email: khuebert@dnu.org