Michael P. Zervos
CEO and President

Mike Zervos is an accomplished executive with more than 25 years of management experience.  Mr. Zervos is well-versed in driving revenue and profit growth through continuous process improvement in both domestic and international operations. He has expertise in underground and surface mine management, mining engineering, mining economics, business development and logistics. Mr. Zervos has proven ability to achieve world-class results in safety leadership, asset development and operational efficiency.

Before joining United Coal Company as CEO and President in 2005, Mr. Zervos served as Senior Executive Officer of Global Energy Management, LLC, a company he formed to pursue coal acquisition opportunities in the Central Appalachian basin. His previous executive management experience also includes President of Mining Operations for Drummond Company, Inc., a large international coal company with more than 3,000 employees and an annual coal production exceeding 30 million tons. He was also President of Arch of Kentucky, Inc., a subsidiary of Arch Coal, Inc.

Kenneth McCoy
Vice President of Operations

As the Company's Vice President of Operations, Ken McCoy is responsible for all elements of coal production at underground operations company-wide.  The presidents of the Company's operating subsidiaries report directly to Mr. McCoy, who is responsible for ensuring compliance with production forecasts and mine plans. His education includes a B.A. in Education and a M.A. in Mine Safety from Marshall University in Huntington, W.Va. 

Before joining United Coal with Mr. Zervos in 2005, Mr. McCoy was also with Global Energy Management and had previously served as General Manager of the Shoal Creek complex, a large longwall operation in the Southern Appalachian field owned by The Drummond Company.

William B. Wells, Jr.
Vice President of Engineering and Strategic Planning

As Vice President of Engineering and Strategic Planning, Bill Wells is responsible for evaluating acquisition opportunities, as well as for analyzing development and extension of existing Company reserves.  The Company's engineering and geology staff, in addition to its engineers and technical staff at all operating subsidiaries, report to Mr. Wells.  He has a B.S. in Environmental Engineering and a M.A. in Mining Engineering from Pennsylvania State University in University Park, Penn.  He is a Registered Professional Engineer in West Virginia, Kentucky and Alabama. 

Charles E. (“Ed”) Toppings
Vice President of Maintenance Systems

In his role as Vice President of Maintenance Systems, Charles "Ed" Toppings is responsible for the development and implementation of all preventive maintenance initiatives at the Company. He is also involved in the specification, procurement and installation of surface and underground plant and equipment.  His education includes an associate's degree in Electrical Engineering from Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, and a M.B.A. from California Coastal University in Santa Ana, Calif.

Gary B. Chilcot
Vice President of Sales

Gary Chilcot is in charge of all sales, marketing and distribution activities for United Coal. Mr. Chilcot has more than 35 years of coal sales experience marketing Central Appalachian steam and metallurgical coal both domestically and abroad to major industrial, utility and steel companies.

Bruce Johnson
Vice President of Materials Management

As Vice President of Materials Management, Bruce Johnson works closely with all United Coal Company suppliers, establishing vendor contracts and streamlining our supplier base. He also works closely with purchasing members across UCC’s four divisions, establishing and implementing various processes and procedures to reduce costs and control loss.

Prior to joining United Coal, Mr. Johnson spent 17 years with Massey Energy in a variety of roles, including Controller, Management Trainee and President of Rawl Sales and Processing. Most recently, he served as Vice President of Purchasing for Massey Coal Services, where he was in charge of supplying Central Appalachia’s largest coal company with all of its supplies and services.

Mr. Johnson earned his B.S. in Accounting from the University of Kentucky in Lexington, and he holds an M.B.A. from Morehead State University in Morehead, Ky. He is also a Certified Public Accountant.

Paul Gregory
Chief Financial Officer

As Chief Financial Officer, Paul Gregory is in charge of all financial and accounting activities at United Coal Company. He is responsible for not only developing and reporting the budget, but he also oversees all external financing and controlling functions.

Prior to joining United Coal Company, Mr. Gregory spent three years as head of mergers and acquisitions for Metinvest Holding (Donetsk, Ukraine), United Coal Company’s parent company. He speaks three languages and is a Chartered Financial Analyst.

Mr. Gregory earned a B.A. in Economics from Rice University in Houston, Texas; a Master’s Degree from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.; and an M.B.A. from the Kellogg School of Management.

Mark McCormick
Chief Legal Counsel, Vice President of Human Resources

As the company’s Chief Legal Counsel and Vice President of Human Resources, Mark McCormick is in charge of all Human Resources and Legal activities. He generates and approves all legal contracts, and he helped develop our enhanced employee benefits package.

Mr. McCormick’s prior experience includes working for SunCoke Energy, where he served as Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Chief Compliance officer. While at SunCoke, he oversaw the structuring and negotiation of domestic and international projects valued at more than $2 billion, and he managed diverse domestic and international employee benefits programs. He also was a member of the environmental risk management committee for Sunoco, SunCoke Energy’s parent company.

Mr. McCormick received his J.D. Degree from Tulane University Law School in New Orleans, La. He is admitted to practice in California and Tennessee.

Rob Robertson
Vice President of Coal Preparation

As Vice President of Coal Preparation, Rob Robertson coordinates, manages and directs United Coal Company’s team of preparation plant managers by providing leadership in all aspects of coal preparation, including production, efficiency, quality and cost control.

He previously served as General Manager at Taggart, where he directed the design, engineering, construction and automation of coal preparation facilities, as well as material-handling systems for coal and other minerals, both domestically and abroad. Prior to Taggart, Mr. Robertson enjoyed a successful career as Founder and President of Robertson Process and Electrical, Inc. He also spent 16 years with Massey Coal Services as Manager of Process Control and Manager of Coal Preparation.

Mr. Robertson has a B.S. from Montreat-Anderson College in Black Mountain, N.C.

Earl H. Humber
Vice President, Controller

As Vice President and Controller, Earl Humber is responsible for budgeting and forecasting, as well as overseeing all Company accounting and financial reporting functions.  Mr.  Humber's education includes a B.S. in Accounting from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.  He is a Certified Public Accountant.

B.J. Evans
Chief Information Officer

As Chief Information Officer, B.J. Evans is responsible for all facets of information technology (IT) and telecommunications within the company. In that role, he oversees a number of areas related to IT, including strategic direction to ensure IT alignment with operational and revenue goals. Mr. Evans also serves as the primary interface for executive management’s business decisions requiring knowledge of emerging technologies.

Mr. Evans’ professional experience also includes team leadership with Ntelos Communications; Senior Systems Engineer and Project Manager with Lockheed Martin Corporation; and Information Security Officer with the West Virginia Medical Institute.

Mr. Evans holds a B.S. in Electronic Engineering Technology from the West Virginia University Institute of Technology in Montgomery, W.Va., and an M.B.A. in Technology Management from the University of Phoenix in Phoenix, Ariz.

Tom Nicot
Director of Purchasing

In his role as the corporate Director of Purchasing, Tom Nicot works with all major suppliers for United Coal Company’s underground, surface and preparation plant operations. His prior corporate experience includes time at GE and Nortel Networks, where he became certified as a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt and served as a Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt while focusing on continuous process improvement.

Before entering the corporate world, Mr. Nicot served as an officer in the U.S. Army. His military service includes a deployment to Bosnia and two deployments to Iraq, where he served with the 3rd Infantry Division. Mr. Nicot’s numerous military achievements include the Department of Defense Most Improved Process Award, which was presented to him by Gen. David Petraeus for his efforts during his second deployment to Iraq.

Mr. Nicot graduated with a B.S. in Economics from West Point. He also earned an M.B.A. and M.S. from the University of Maryland.

Ronald Patterson
Manager of Underground Engineering

Ronald Patterson is Manager of Underground Engineering for Pocahontas Coal and Carter Roag Coal. He brings more than 25 years of experience in the coal industry to his position.

Before coming to Pocahontas and Carter Roag, Mr. Patterson served as Manager of Operations and Chief of Engineering at Wind River Consulting/New South Resources in Beckley, W.Va. He has a B.S. in Mining Engineering from West Virginia University in Morgantown, W.Va. Mr. Patterson is a Certified Professional Engineer and Professional Surveyor in West Virginia.

John Schroder
President - Sapphire Coal Company

John Schroder joined United Coal Company in 2006 as a Production Coordinator, later serving as Mine Manager/Superintendent of Carter Roag Coal Company. He served as Technical Assistant to the president of UCC’s West Virginia operations before becoming General Manager of Carter Roag in 2008. Mr. Schroder was named President of Sapphire Coal Company in 2009.

Prior to joining UCC, he was employed in leadership roles at Drummond Company, a mining operation in Adger, Ala. Mr. Schroder’s additional experience includes positions as Coordinator and Foreman at Oak Grove Mining, also in Adger, and at Pinnacle Mining and U.S. Steel Mining, both in Pineville, W.Va.

A native of Bluefield, W.Va., Mr. Schroder holds a B.S. in Mining Engineering from Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va. He is a certified West Virginia Underground Mine Foreman and Alabama Underground Mine Foreman.