PERSON: Robert Murray
Employer
Murray Energy Corporation
Position
CEO
Biography
Robert E. Murray (born 1940) is an American CEO of Murray Energy Corporation, a mining corporation based in St. Clairsville, Ohio. He is one of the largest independent operators of coal mines in the United States. His father was paralyzed in a mining accident when Murray was 9 years old. As a miner himself, Murray experienced two accidents on the job.
He currently lives in Moreland Hills, Ohio with his wife, Brenda Lou Moore. They have three grown children. Murray says that following his father’s accident, he lied about his age so he could work in a coal mine at the age of 16 and provide for his family. Murray says that he suffered through several mining accidents, including on one occasion being hit in the head with an 18-foot (5.5 m) beam made of steel. Murray says he has one scar running from his head down his back from a separate accident and at one time was trapped in a dark mine for 12 hours before being rescued.
He was valedictorian of the Bethesda (OH) High School class of 1957. Murray received a Bachelor of Engineering in Mining from Ohio State University and completed the advanced management program at the Harvard Graduate School of Business.
He is a registered Professional Engineer and private pilot, as well as a member of the boards of directors of the National Mining Association, American Coal Foundation, National Coal Council, Ohio Coal Association, and Pennsylvania Coal Association. Murray is past president and a trustee of the American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical, and Petroleum Engineers, Inc., and the Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration, Inc., as well as past president of The Rocky Mountain Coal Mining Institute.
He began his mining career at the North American Coal Corporation. He served in a variety of capacities at NACC, winning election to Vice President of Operations in 1969. From 1974 to 1983, Murray was President of NACC’s Western Division and presided over four of its subsidiaries in North Dakota.
In 1974, a strike took place at the Indian Head Mine in Zap, which North American was attempting to close. In 1983, he became President and CEO of North American. In 1987, Murray was told by “someone to whom [he] didn’t even report” that he was “done” at NACC. He later called the firing “the best thing ever to happen” to his career. Murray started his company in 1988 with the purchase of a single continuous mining operation with an annual output of 1 million tons per year.
Murray Energy Corporation’s strategy involves acquiring high sulfur reserves and aiming to be the low-cost producer in primary coal-sourcing regions of the United States. This strategy was based on Murray’s belief that the transportation of low-sulfur thousands of miles from the Powder River Basin to meet the growing demand for electricity in some parts of the country was not a viable long-term solution. At the helm of Murray Energy, he began accumulating reserves that were strategically located near customers, near favorable transportation, and high in energy content (BTU per pound). Following this strategy, Murray Energy acquired reserves and expanded its operations in Southern Ohio, in Southwestern Pennsylvania, the Illinois Basin (Western Kentucky and Southern Illinois), and reserves and operations in Central Utah. One of Murray Energy’s first acquisitions was the Powhatan No. 6 mine in Alledonia, Ohio. The Powhatan mine is the only mine operated by a Murray Energy Corporation independent operating subsidiary that is unionized.
Today, Murray Energy Corporation produces approximately 30 million tons of bituminous coal each year and employs approximately 3,000 people in the United States. In addition to its mining operations, Murray Energy owns and operates river, truck, and rail terminals on the Ohio River; a rail loadout facility in Central Utah; and a diesel and mining equipment rebuild facility in West Virginia.
— Wikipedia
He currently lives in Moreland Hills, Ohio with his wife, Brenda Lou Moore. They have three grown children. Murray says that following his father’s accident, he lied about his age so he could work in a coal mine at the age of 16 and provide for his family. Murray says that he suffered through several mining accidents, including on one occasion being hit in the head with an 18-foot (5.5 m) beam made of steel. Murray says he has one scar running from his head down his back from a separate accident and at one time was trapped in a dark mine for 12 hours before being rescued.
He was valedictorian of the Bethesda (OH) High School class of 1957. Murray received a Bachelor of Engineering in Mining from Ohio State University and completed the advanced management program at the Harvard Graduate School of Business.
He is a registered Professional Engineer and private pilot, as well as a member of the boards of directors of the National Mining Association, American Coal Foundation, National Coal Council, Ohio Coal Association, and Pennsylvania Coal Association. Murray is past president and a trustee of the American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical, and Petroleum Engineers, Inc., and the Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration, Inc., as well as past president of The Rocky Mountain Coal Mining Institute.
He began his mining career at the North American Coal Corporation. He served in a variety of capacities at NACC, winning election to Vice President of Operations in 1969. From 1974 to 1983, Murray was President of NACC’s Western Division and presided over four of its subsidiaries in North Dakota.
In 1974, a strike took place at the Indian Head Mine in Zap, which North American was attempting to close. In 1983, he became President and CEO of North American. In 1987, Murray was told by “someone to whom [he] didn’t even report” that he was “done” at NACC. He later called the firing “the best thing ever to happen” to his career. Murray started his company in 1988 with the purchase of a single continuous mining operation with an annual output of 1 million tons per year.
Murray Energy Corporation’s strategy involves acquiring high sulfur reserves and aiming to be the low-cost producer in primary coal-sourcing regions of the United States. This strategy was based on Murray’s belief that the transportation of low-sulfur thousands of miles from the Powder River Basin to meet the growing demand for electricity in some parts of the country was not a viable long-term solution. At the helm of Murray Energy, he began accumulating reserves that were strategically located near customers, near favorable transportation, and high in energy content (BTU per pound). Following this strategy, Murray Energy acquired reserves and expanded its operations in Southern Ohio, in Southwestern Pennsylvania, the Illinois Basin (Western Kentucky and Southern Illinois), and reserves and operations in Central Utah. One of Murray Energy’s first acquisitions was the Powhatan No. 6 mine in Alledonia, Ohio. The Powhatan mine is the only mine operated by a Murray Energy Corporation independent operating subsidiary that is unionized.
Today, Murray Energy Corporation produces approximately 30 million tons of bituminous coal each year and employs approximately 3,000 people in the United States. In addition to its mining operations, Murray Energy owns and operates river, truck, and rail terminals on the Ohio River; a rail loadout facility in Central Utah; and a diesel and mining equipment rebuild facility in West Virginia.
— Wikipedia
ClipsBank
Full
Compact
NewsBase
Full
Compact
RadioBank
Full
Compact
PodBank
Full
Compact
TranscriptBank
Full
Compact
No data found
