Yesterday, leading coal supplier Alpha Natural Resources celebrated the opening of its new corporate headquarters building in Bristol, Va. Governor McDonnell was joined by state and local officials to congratulate the company at its unique ribbon-cutting ceremony where a team of coal miners cut a ribbon of miner’s belts to commemorate the new building. Located on 30 acres at the Sugar Hollow Business Complex, the 130,000-square-foot building was designed to meet the green building Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards.

Alpha Natural Resources announced its selection of Virginia as the site for its new headquarters building just over two years ago. The investment of more than $20 million combined with the creation of 69 new jobs and preservation of 131 jobs is a significant boon for the City of Bristol and Southwest Virginia.

Virginia can count yet another headquarters win to its all-star roster, successfully competing against Maryland and Tennessee for the business. Alpha Natural Resources is certainly an impressive company to add to this list. Commencing operations in 2002, the company has quickly grown to become the world’s third largest metallurgical coal supplier and the top metallurgical coal supplier in the U.S.

Location was a key deciding factor in Virginia’s favor. According to CEO Kevin Crutchfield, “The property is in a very attractive park-like setting and has easy Interstate access. 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 work force.”  With a long history of coal mining in Southwest Virginia, the company has an experienced work force to draw upon for future growth.

To learn more about Virginia’s booming energy industry and why other energy companies have said yes to Virginia click here.