Great People

In Northern Minnesota, Marjory Burns grew up as the youngest of 12 kids and went to school in a one-room schoolhouse. It’s there she learned the lessons that would propel her through life.

“We used to live off the land and most days I didn’t have lunch at school,” Burns said. “It made me what I am – a workaholic. I made sure my kids never went without.”

And work, she did. Burns put in more hours at more jobs than one might think was possible – and throughout had six children of her own.

“At one time I was putting in 120 hours a week,” she said.

She heard about Metro Transit while driving school buses. She eventually applied to be a bus operator but also for a job at the post office. And for about 7 years, she kept up her workaholic lifestyle as a part-time operator and a rural carrier. Eventually, she left the post office to go full time here.

“I chose Metro Transit because it had better benefits and retirement,” Burns said. “My retirement will cover everything that I’ll need.”

It wasn’t just the benefits that attracted her, however. Throughout the years, she spent most of her career at Heywood Garage and operated every single route that they offered.

“I love driving a bus,” she said. “My worst nightmare was sitting behind a desk.”

Onboard, she loved making people laugh, especially when it helped deescalate a situation, or at the garage with her coworkers. Eventually, she did find herself behind a desk as a dispatcher. However, she discovered that she could still do what’s important to her.

“I try to help people – that’s my job,” Burns said. “If I’m not helping people, I’m not happy.”

After all these years, however, she’s ready to retire and spend lots of time with her six children and six grandchildren. She also plans to cruise the world, starting this year with six back-to-back ocean cruises.

Randy Robinson joined Metro Transit just in the nick of time. If just one more day would have past, he’d be in California or New York working for an interstate bus company.  

“I applied there and Metro Transit at the same time as I knew transit was a process,” Robinson said. “I began at the other company because they hired me on the spot.”

After moving to Minnesota for career opportunities and to be near family, he was happy that Metro Transit finally called. Especially after a year of over-the-road work, his wife was happy he’d be local.

“I did my time with long distances and charter, and it’s great to be able to go home every day,” he said.

Robinson became an operator and credits all the great trainers, including some with employee IDs with three digits, for helping him along the way. After a little over 10 years, he started looking around for other opportunities.

“I started asking all the instructors and coordinators about what I need to do to become one,” Robinson said. “They pointed me in the right direction.”

When a position opened, he applied and earned the role as instructor, which he held for about 7 years. But, it wasn’t until he found a position as garage coordinator, that he found the role he’d retire from.

“I loved this position,” he said. “I was able to help operators advance and was still very connected to them and the garage. This is where I wanted to be.”

Throughout his near decade of serving as a garage coordinator, what he’s most proud of is helping about 10 operators advance their careers at Metro Transit.

“It was always bittersweet to see them move on, but I was happy they did,” he said.

In retirement, Robinson plans to spend more time with his grandchildren and take his wife on trips to places she hasn’t been.

Steve Mahowald retired a senior planner, but like many folks at Metro Transit, he began his career as a bus operator.

“I was driving cab for a living,” Mahowald said. “I’d commute downtown to my job on Metro Transit and that’s when my bus operator told me to apply.”

He took that advice and a half century later; he celebrates a long and storied career. At Metro Transit, he served as a bus operator for about 5 years, which gave him steady income and the ability to go back to college and finish his degree in Urban Studies. This gave him the launching pad to apply for a job in Service Development and eventually the ability to earn his master’s degree.

“I didn’t get the job right away,” he said. “It took me three times.”

He started as an associate planner and worked his way up to senior planner. Throughout the years, he’s worked on many projects, but he’s most proud of helping develop transit market areas in the mid-90s. This document provides cities with an understanding of what transit can do now, and what transit could provide given the right developments.

“Cities still refer to it today to help develop areas that are conducive to transit service,” Mahowald said.

Throughout the years, community is what keeps him coming to work every day – not only the communities onboard buses and trains, but the community built by his fellow employees.

“It’s very rewarding to see and hear from the people we serve,” he said. “But it’s also energizing to work with such talented people with a passion for our mission.”

And just like the bus operator who told him to apply, he’s even inspired some people to work at Metro Transit. While teaching at the University of Minnesota, he met a passionate and driven student interested in transit. That student is now the director of Strategic Initiatives.

After 50 years of service, Mahowald is ready to retire and he knows he’s leaving the future of transit in good hands.

 “The talent coming into Metro Transit today is incredible,” he said.

In retirement, he plans to spend more time with kids and grandkids, traveling, and advocating for pedestrian improvements.

When he was 18 years old, Al Daley didn’t want to leave Jamaica and join his mother in Minnesota.  “I was sure my mom made a mistake – I was going to leave Minnesota as soon as I could,” Daley said. “Thank god that didn’t happen.”

His mother was worried about the lifestyle he was becoming accustomed to, so she sponsored him to immigrate. From sunny beaches to the frozen tundra, Daley arrived in Minnesota in January of 1973.

“It was my first real experience with cold and snow,” he said. “I was excited for about 10 minutes. That excitement wore off quickly.”

After arriving he enrolled in college, but soon found out that it wasn’t a good fit for him. So, he entered the job market and eventually became an IT field technician. However, this job was shorter lived than he’d hoped – 3 years after starting, the now young father was laid off.

“I was looking for anything that got a paycheck coming in,” Daley said. “I drove taxi, school buses, sold cars, whatever it took.”

That’s when a friend suggested he apply to be a bus operator at Metro Transit. “I thought it was going to be a stop along the way. I hoped to return to IT,” he said. “That didn’t happen, and I wouldn’t change a thing.”

He credits the people and the pay for keeping him here all these years. The interactions with customers onboard reminded him that his role was important, especially on cold winter days.

“They appreciate and need you,” Daley said. “They’re good people just trying to get from Point A to Point B.”

In retirement, he plans to spend more time with his son and his grandchildren, and when he can, return to Jamaica during the winter.

John Carrier couldn’t picture himself as a bus operator.

“My dad brought me to Metro Transit kicking and screaming,” he said. “I didn’t want to be a driver; it didn’t seem like me.”

Carrier had just earned an accounting degree and was working as a warehouse clerk. However, starting a career at Metro Transit became the first and final stop in his career. He'll retire next week after more than 38 years of service.

“I thought I’d be too nervous to do this job – but that didn’t play into it at all,” Carrier said. “I was surprised at how quickly I became accustomed to doing the job properly.”

Carrier started at Nicollet Garage, moved to Snelling and Heywood, and ends his career at South. For several years, Carriers served as a union steward, helping fellow operators solve problems. Onboard his bus, he also enjoyed helping people. He fondly remembers springing into action to help a blind person cross the street during a trip on Route 2.

“I was surprised passengers saw what I did and thanked me,” Carrier said. “It’s amazing how the stuff you do resonates with people.”

In retirement, he looks forward to sleeping in, traveling to Europe and Central America, and spending more time with his wife and two children.