Leadership

Brent Bilsland serves as Hallador’s Chairman of the Board, President and CEO. He has spent more than 17 years in the energy industry during which he has developed longstanding relationships with 13 utilities in the United States. Brent was one of the founding investors of Sunrise Coal in 2004. Brent oversaw Sunrise’s acquisition by Hallador in 2006, at which time he became President of Sunrise. In 2009, he became President and a Director at Hallador. In 2014, Brent led the $296 million acquisition of Vectren Fuels and became Hallador’s CEO. Four years later, he assumed the role of Chairman of the Board of Hallador.

Brent has held numerous leadership roles with various industry associations such as Reliable Energy Association, America’s Power, National Mining Association, and the Indiana Coal Council.

Prior to Hallador and Sunrise, Brent spent seven years at Knapper Corporation, an agricultural company he cofounded. Brent is a graduate of Butler University in Indianapolis.

Larry Martin serves as both Hallador’s CFO and President of Hallador’s subsidiary Sunrise Coal. From 2007 to 2017, Larry was Sunrise’s CFO.

Larry has extensive expertise in accounting and finance, including financing and integrating the 2014 Vectren Fuels acquisition. Additionally, he has led negotiations on numerous credit facilities with up to 17-bank syndications.

Prior to joining Sunrise, Larry spent two decades with a major national accounting firm in management roles. Larry is a Certified Public Accountant and a graduate of Indiana State University.

Heath Lovell serves as President of Hallador Power Company. Prior to joining Hallador, Heath Lovell was the Vice President – Public Affairs for Alliance Coal, LLC since June of 2017. Before that, he was Vice President of Operations covering Illinois, Indiana, and parts of Western Kentucky. He had been with Alliance since 2006 and held several other positions including General Manager of River View Coal, LLC and General Manager of Webster County Coal, LLC. Heath was responsible for the development of River View in 2009 with its nine units of operations and initial capital investment of $270 million. Before joining Alliance, Heath was Vice President and Partner of Dodge Hill Mining, LLC. Heath has over 25 years of experience in the mining industry and holds a Master of Business Administration and a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Kentucky.

Heath has served as the Chairman of the Kentucky Coal Association Board of Directors, West Virginia Coal Association Board of Directors, Indiana Coal Association Board of Directors, Reliable Energy, Inc Board of Directors, as well as a Board Member of the American Coal Council and an appointed member of the National Coal Council.

Elliott Batson is Hallador’s chief commercial officer. He leads the corporate marketing and commercial functions, as well as plays an integral role in business development. Elliott came to Hallador in 2016 from Duke Energy the largest utility in the U.S. During his 30 years at Duke, he gained valuable experience in the energy industry, originating fuel for Duke’s generation portfolio and assisting with integration of Duke’s purchase of Progress Fuels. His work with Duke also involved collaborating with diverse stakeholders throughout the company’s service territory, ranging from the Carolinas to the Midwest. Elliott is a graduate of the University of South Carolina.

Jeff Perry is Director of Technology. He combines his experience in finance, marketing, start-ups and commercial real estate to assist Hallador’s strategic growth in the energy industry. Jeff has a track record of earning results through technology, from increasing sales for BoxUp, an e-commerce start-up, to cofounding Marketability, an Indiana-based marketing firm. He is consistently focused on bringing value to shareholders, stemming from his work with Oakley Corporation, where he maximized the return on investment for commercial portfolios in the Midwest and Florida. Jeff is a graduate of Butler University in Indianapolis.

Heather Tryon leads the accounting functions for Sunrise Coal, LLC and all underlying entities. She joined Sunrise in 2014 as the controller. She previously was the controller of Speedco, Inc. and an audit manager at CliftonLarsonAllen LLP. Heather is a Certified Public Accountant, and holds memberships with the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Indiana CPA Society. She is a graduate of Indiana State University.

Todd Davis serves as Hallador Energy’s principal accounting officer. He joined Hallador in 2016 from CliftonLarsonAllen LLP. Todd is a Certified Public Accountant and a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accounts and the Illinois CPA Society. He is a graduate of Illinois State University.

For the last four years, Jamalyn Sarver has led Hallador’s legislative efforts, working closely with local, state, and federal legislators. Prior to Jamalyn’s role as Director of Government Affairs, she managed the land department for 10 years, and contributed to numerous special projects. Jamalyn spent six years with Monsanto before joining Hallador. Jamalyn is a graduate of Purdue University.

Roy Dressler manages all aspects of Hallador’s land department. He has expertise in acquiring surface and mineral rights, title work and has led many property zoning initiatives. Roy works closely with the team to develop new growth opportunities for the company. A member of the Hallador team since 2010, Roy has a background in business development in the manufacturing and construction sectors. He is a graduate of Indiana State University.

Keith O’Haver is responsible for securing surface and subsurface rights for mining operations. Keith has been with Sunrise Coal for six years. He came to the company from the largest family-owned seed company in the United States, where he spent three years as a district sales representative. He is a graduate of Purdue University.

Scott McGuire manages special projects and oversees Hallador’s environmental and production initiatives. He has been with Hallador for six years. Prior to Hallador, Scott was a partner of Environmental Risk Management Consultants, an engineering consulting firm, focused on environmental compliance, permitting and geotechnical design. Scott is a licensed Professional Engineer in Indiana and Kentucky. He is a graduate of the University of Kentucky.

A 40-year veteran of the Illinois Basin coal mining industry, Tommy Sutton is responsible for managing Sunrise Coal’s surface operations and the engineering and reclamation of Sunrise’s active and inactive operations. Tommy is a licensed Professional Engineer in Indiana, Illinois and Kentucky and a licensed Professional Surveyor in Kentucky. He has spent seven years on the board of directors of the Indiana Society of Mining and Reclamation, and served as president of the Indiana Coal Council.

Anthony Brklach oversees permitting for Sunrise Coal. He works closely with teams on job sites to ensure compliance with all state and federal permits, as well as manages permitting with state and federal agencies. Anthony has seven years of experience with Sunrise, joining the company following his graduation from Rose Hulman Institute of Technology. He is an EPA Method 9 Certified Emissions Tester.