Coal mine owner moves to Sandy, changes name

Bituminous coal producer Bowie Resource Partners LLC, owner of the Dugout Canyon, Skyline and Sufco mines in eastern Utah, has moved its corporate headquarters from Grand Junction, Colorado, to Sandy and has changed its corporate trade name to Wolverine Fuels LLC. Wolverine is majority-owned by the Galena Private Equity Resources Fund of London, England.{mprestriction ids="1,3"}

Wolverine’s new headquarters is located at 9815 S. Monroe St., Suite 203, in Sandy. Wolverine will continue to operate the three Utah mines and also owns the idled Bowie No. 2 mine in Colorado. Wolverine will maintain a small regional office in Grand Junction, according to a statement from the company.

“We are primarily a Utah company, employing Utah citizens and supplying coal to Utah power plants, so it only makes sense that we have our headquarters in Utah,” said James Grech, Wolverine CEO, who was appointed in July.  “This move will allow the executive team to be closer to our mines, our workforce and our customers.  I want to thank everyone in Utah who encouraged and assisted us with this relocation, especially Gov. (Gary) Herbert’s office and Sen. David Hinkins.”

“The Utah economy benefits from low-cost, sustainable electricity, generated by its many diverse resources, including the coal-fired power plants located in the state,” said Laura Nelson, Herbert’s energy advisor and executive director of the Governor’s Office of Energy Development.  “The Wolverine mines are key suppliers to those plants, providing jobs and energy security locally, regionally and globally.” 

“The Wolverine mines have an enormous economic impact in Emery, Carbon, Sevier and Sanpete counties and I was honored to assist Jim Grech and his team with the move,” said Hinkins, R-Orangeville. 

“In conjunction with the recent management changes and recapitalization of the company, we wanted to offer our employees a fresh start and new identity with the name change,” said Grech, addressing the corporate name change. “Our workforce is tough and resilient, very much like a wolverine, so we think our new namesake will resonate very well with our employees and the communities in which we operate.” 

Founded in 1995, Wolverine Fuels employs over 950 and has an annual productive capacity of approximately 12 million to 14 million tons of coal.{/mprestriction}