I graduated high school in 1978 and started as an underground laborer in a Wyoming coal mine. After about a year, I went to college completing my BS in Mining Engineering in 1983 - this was the era of the OPEC oil embargo, and the US was looking to gain energy independence. I was able to get through school with the strong support of my parents, working in the mines and scholarships. I had an amazing and supportive family.
Out of college, I started my career in Southern Illinois and worked in coal mines in West Virginia, Virgina, Kentucky, Colorado and Wyoming as well as major projects in Indonesia, South Africa and Australia. I am licensed engineer in six states. My last operating position was running one of the largest coal mines in the world. In 2006, my employer offered me the opportunity to take a sabbatical and go to business school on a full-time basis.
When I returned from business school, I worked my way through the usual corporate management roles, domestic/international marketing (mainly Europe, South America and Asia) and finished as CEO of the company the last five years of my career. In September 2024, we merged the company with another large publicly listed producer, and I left in late 2025 after transition was effectively complete. In total, I was with the same company for almost 42 years.
Outside of my direct professional career, I also served as the chairman of the National Mining Association (the advocacy group for most of the US mining companies) as well as other public company boards over the last ten years. On public advocacy, I served on the Wyoming Healthcare Commission as well as the Chairman of the University of Wyoming's School of Energy Recourses. Kathy and I have been very active supporters of various charities, universities and scholarships including the American Red Cross, St. Judes and College Club of St. Louis (providing college scholarships for disadvantaged young women).
I now serve on the board of a large aggregate and construction company as well as the vice president of the Board of Trustees for the Missouri University of Science & Technology (my undergraduate alma mater).
Kathy and I have been married almost 37 years and have two daughters. Our oldest daughter has a business degree/MBA and lives in Boston doing fraud/cyber security work while our younger daughter is a civil engineer doing hydrology work and lives in Phoenix. We split our time between Scottsdale and Breckenridge.