Alpha also appointed Paul Vining to the newly created position of chief commercial officer. From 2008 to 2010, he was president and COO of Patriot Coal Corp. Prior to that, Vining was CEO of Magnum Coal Co. and Trout Coal Holdings, two privately held Central Appalachian coal producers. He has held the top executive sales and trading positions for both Arch Coal and Peabody Energy.
Vining will be responsible for domestic and international market development, sales, transportation and logistics, and product optimization for customers. He will lead one of the industry’s most experienced sales organizations with approximately 60 professionals serving customers in more than 25 countries as well as most major domestic utilities and industrial customers. Vining will also oversee a significant expansion of Alpha’s presence in the international seaborne coal markets.