Alpha spokesperson Rick Nida and state governor Timothy Kaine said that 69 new positions would be created and 131 jobs would be retained once the company moved from its current home in Abingdon to the Sugar Hollow Business Complex.
While Nida did not indicate to ILN where the new staff would be allocated, the producer – now the third largest in the US – chose Virginia against other sites in Maryland and Tennessee.
Alpha has committed a $US17.5 investment via a lease-back agreement as well as another $3.5 million though other associated direct outlays.
“Alpha Natural Resources has had a solid presence in Virginia through its predecessor companies since the early 1900s, and I am glad to see them recommitting to business in the commonwealth,” Kaine said.
Alpha chief executive officer Kevin Crutchfield added that the business complex location was developed and designed specifically for its business type.
“A distinct advantage of the new location is its proximity to many of the company’s operations and its convenience for Alpha’s current corporate office workforce,” he said, adding that the property has easy access to the nearby interstate.
Kaine noted that both local and state resources were integral to Alpha’s move into southwest Virginia. The state’s Economic Development Partnership collaborated with the city of Bristol as well as Virginia’s aCorridor to secure the project, and Kaine gave the green light for a $1 million grant from the Governor’s Opportunity Fund to assist the city.
Additionally, the Virginia Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Commission approved $3.4 million in Tobacco Region Opportunity Funds for the project, and the Virginia Department of Business Assistance will provide training assistance.
Alpha now has 6200 staff at 60 mines and 14 coal preparation facilities throughout the northern and central Appalachian region as well as the Powder River Basin.
