THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, September 25, 1996 TAG: 9609250558
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: D1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MYLENE MANGALINDAN, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 41 lines
The city of Norfolk named a former coal industry executive to head its economic development department, City Manager James B. Oliver Jr. announced Tuesday.
Roderick S. Woolard, former president of Island Creek Coal Sales Co., has international experience selling coal, including two years with a predecessor of Norfolk Southern Corp.
Woolard, who assumes his new duties Oct. 1, will oversee a 16-person staff at the economic development department.
He succeeds Robert B. Smithwick, who retired from the economic development post after serving 10 years with the city. Smithwick retired Aug. 1, sparking a national search for a successor that began in July.
Woolard, a Hampton Roads native, was chosen because he has extensive experience selling and marketing coal throughout Europe, Latin America and Asia. His proven ability to define a clear vision of a project and to communicate that to employees, management and customers also led to his selection, the city manager's office said.
Woolard worked for 19 years at Island Creek Corp. of Lexington, Ky., where he held several positions before becoming senior vice president of the export and metallurgical business group.
Before joining Island Creek, he worked for Consolidation Coal Co. as general manager of the Pittsburgh-based company's export sales. He began his career as an international commerce representative for Norfolk and Western Railway Co., a predecessor of rail holding company Norfolk Southern.
A Williamsburg resident, Woolard and his wife, Loralee, moved back to the area after he successfully developed and carried out a divestiture strategy for Island Creek. Island Creek was sold in 1993 to Consolidation Coal, another one of Woolard's former employers.
Woolard, who graduated from the University of South Carolina with a degree in political science and international studies, has worked as a Realtor for Coldwell Banker, Powell & Associates in Williamsburg since 1994.
Woolard has two daughters. One is an undergraduate at the College of William & Mary; the other is enrolled in William & Mary's law school. by CNB