A well-known name in the coal industry is back in Randolph County - United Coal Company.  The company has commenced production at the Carter Roag Coal Company during the past year and is looking to provide employment opportunities for the local communities to expand the operations.

To accomplish this, Carter Roag will hold back-to-back career fairs on Dec. 14 and Dec. 15 in Elkins, W.Va., and Buckhannon, W.Va., respectively.

The Dec. 14 fair will be held from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Days Inn on Harrison Avenue in Elkins. The Dec. 15 fair will be held from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Hampton Inn on Commerce Boulevard in Buckhannon. Company representatives will be available to answer questions and provide applications.

UCC/Carter Roag will be hiring for all shifts, including day shifts.  Available positions include underground and surface mining opportunities in Randolph County.  Underground employment opportunities are available to supervisors, roof bolters, miner operators, shuttle car operators, continuous haulage personnel, certified electricians and utility personnel.

Carter Roag controls approximately 50 million tons of Sewell metallurgical coal reserves in the area and is currently operating two underground mines, Pleasant Hill and 1-A.  Plans are in place to begin production at two additional locations during the second quarter of 2006 while constructing a new preparation plant adjacent to the existing Star Bridge facility.

An additional $120 million expansion will occur near Norton with the development of a large shaft/slope underground mine complex using a combination of seven super-section and single continuous miner production units.  A new state-of-the-art preparation plant will be constructed along with a significant upgrade of the railroad facilities.

“We are committed to this area,” said UCC President Michael Zervos. “We plan to continue to expand the local operation and invest the necessary capital to make Carter Roag a coal powerhouse. One of the keys to growing and succeeding is a great workforce. UCC has always had a reputation as a great place to work. Its employees used to call it ‘the company with a heart.’ We haven’t lost that heart.”

UCC, which began as a small surface mining operation in 1970, grew to be one of the largest coal producers on the East Coast. By 1987, it had changed its name to The United Company to reflect its new diversified nature. In 1997, The United Company sold the last of its coal assets.

In 2004, The United Company went back to its roots and United Coal Company resurfaced.

Since the purchase of Carter Roag in October 2004, UCC has rapidly expanded.   The purchase of the Sapphire Coal Company, headquartered in Isom, Ky., added three underground mines, a surface mine and a preparation plant producing a high grade steam coal.

Most recently, the company acquired an additional 60 million tons of metallurgical coal reserves near Beckley, W.Va., and created the Pocahontas Coal Company.  This subsidiary consists of two underground mines, a surface mine, a high wall miner operation and a preparation plant.  Expansion of this operation is also planned.

UCC is currently working on additional expansion opportunities and expects to announce another major acquisition before the end of this year.

 “We are excited to be back in the coal business,” Zervos said. “The 1970s and ‘80s were a heady time in the coal industry, and United Coal and its subsidiaries led the way. The original UCC was a different kind of coal company. It focused on employees and reinvested profits into the company for the future. The new UCC is using that same approach to fuel its growth.”

The company offers excellent working conditions, very competitive wages, production and safety bonuses, paid vacation, matching 401K contributions and group medical, prescription, dental, vision and life insurance benefits.

Those who are interested but unable to attend should send a resume to Carter Roag Coal, BLG, P.O. Box 7061, Charleston, W.Va., 25356

United Coal is a privately held company with subsidiaries in West Virginia and Eastern Kentucky.  It is owned by The United Company, a diversified holding company headquartered in Bristol, Va.