A little more than three years ago, Armstrong Coal Company was just an idea — a plan on paper. Today, 
it has four operating coal mines, employs almost 500 people, and controls an estimated 250 million to 
300 million tons of coal reserves. 

“Armstrong Coal was incorporated in late 2006,” recalled Kenny Allen, Vice President of Operations. 
“The company’s first employee was David Cobb, and I came on board in June 2007. We opened our first 
mine in 2008 and shipped our first coal in July of that year. Today, we’re producing about 6 million 
tons annually. It’s definitely been a fast-growth project.” 

Headquartered in Madisonville, Ky., Armstrong Coal Company is a subsidiary of St. Louis, Mo.-based 
Armstrong Land Company. In addition to Allen, principals in the firm include Chairman of the Board J. 
Hord Armstrong, III; President Martin Wilson; Vice President of Corporate Development David Cobb; and 
Vice President and Controller Dick Gist. 

“David Cobb and I have about 80 years of combined experience in the coal mining industry,” said Allen. 
“He worked as a consultant to local coal companies here in western Kentucky for many years. Although I 
traveled extensively with Peabody Coal for 25 of the 40 years I’ve been in this business, this area was 
always home to me. We were both familiar with the reserves here, so it was very exciting for us to help 
put this thing together.” 

Western Kentucky coal is a medium- to high-sulfur-content coal from the Illinois Basin. The market for 
such coal has improved since the “Clear Skies Act” in 2003 leveled the playing field for high-sulfur coal 
by mandating scrubbing for all power plants. 

Armstrong Coal’s current properties include two surface mines (Midway and East Forks, both in Ohio County 
near Centertown) and two underground mines (Big Run in Ohio County and Parkway in Mulhenburg County). The 
company has prep plants for washing the coal at Midway and Parkway. 

“All of our customers are power plants, primarily nearby public utilities, that burn coal to generate 
electricity,” noted Allen. “Our goal is to be known as a reliable supplier of clean, high-quality, 
custom-blend coal. One thing that helps us is good transportation from our properties. We have rail and 
truck at the Midway prep plant and we have barge and truck at Parkway.”