News & Media

A. Michael Perry Joins Arch Coal Board of Directors

September 29, 1998 at 12:32 PM EDT

St. Louis, MO - September 29, 1998 - A. Michael Perry has been elected to the board of directors of Arch Coal, Inc. (NYSE:ACI), according to John R. Hall, Arch's chairman of the board.

"We are very pleased that Mr. Perry has joined our board," Hall said. "As chairman and chief executive officer of Banc One West Virginia Corporation, he is an experienced leader with expertise in a broad array of banking and financial matters. His insight into such matters will prove very beneficial to the company, which has undergone tremendous growth in the past 18 months."

"In addition to his skills in the financial arena, Mr. Perry is one of West Virginia's most highly regarded and effective state and civic leaders, having spearheaded innumerable causes for the public good throughout his career," added Steven F. Leer, Arch Coal's president and chief executive officer. "He will bring a unique and valuable perspective to our board that will be particularly beneficial to Arch Coal's eastern operations. We look forward to working with Mr. Perry."

With the election of Mr. Perry, the Arch Coal board increases in size to 11 members. Leer is the company's sole employee director.

Prior to joining Banc One West Virginia, formerly known as Key Centurion Bancshares, in 1982, Mr. Perry was a partner in the law firm of Huddleston, Bolen, Beatty, Porter and Copen in Huntington, W.Va. He is a graduate of West Virginia University College of Law and has a bachelor of arts degree from Marshall University in Huntington.

Mr. Perry was appointed by former Governor Gaston Caperton to the University System of West Virginia and is a past chairman of the board of that organization. He is co-chairman, along with Senator Jay Rockefeller, of the West Virginia Children's Health Project and was the first chairman of The Mary Babb Randolph Cancer Center in Morgantown, W.Va. Mr. Perry has also served as chairman of the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce, the West Virginia Bankers Association and the Huntington (W.Va.) Regional Chamber of Commerce. He also serves on numerous other boards, including: St. Mary's Hospital Board of Trustees, Champion Industries, DARCO International, Huntington Area Development Council, Logan Corporation, Mingo Wyoming Land Company, The West Virginia Roundtable, Software Valley Foundation, West Virginia Research League, and the Radisson Hotel.

Arch Coal is the nation's second largest coal producer, with subsidiary operations in West Virginia, Kentucky, Virginia, Illinois, Wyoming, Colorado and Utah. Through these operations, Arch Coal provides the fuel for approximately 6% of the electricity generated in the United States.