Mine-origin expertise for commercial coal risk.

His academic background includes a BS in Mining Engineering Technology from Bluefield State University and an MBA with international focus from Salem University. His professional background spans more than 25 years in underground coal operations — production, coal quality evaluation, preparation plant operations, and mine site assessment across the Central Appalachian coalfields — followed by 11 years in mine safety oversight, giving him direct regulatory experience with the compliance environment, violation history, and operational risk factors that affect coal asset value and performance.

That combination — engineering foundation, operational depth, regulatory knowledge, commercial training, and international business context — is what Clear Creek Advisory is built on.

Through Clear Creek Advisory, JW provides independent technical review on coal cargo and commercial risk matters including COA and specification review, mine-to-buyer quality chain analysis, cargo rejection and sampling dispute support, demurrage and laytime analysis, and mine asset due diligence. He is the creator of CoalSense™, a proprietary platform that tracks coal quality from mine certificate through buyer receiving data, identifying variance and commercial risk at every point in the chain.

His clients include maritime counsel, P&I correspondents, commodity traders, charterers, private equity firms, lenders, and insurers dealing with coal cargo disputes, transaction due diligence, and distressed asset situations across the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Singapore, and Asia.

He works on a confidential basis, is comfortable operating under counsel's direction, and can conduct remote analysis or site visits depending on the nature of the engagement.