Joe Craft - Alliance Resource Partners

Joseph "Joe" Craft III (born 1950), a Kentucky native, is an American businessman and philanthropist. He is the president and chief executive officer of Alliance Resource Partners, L.P., the third-largest coal producer in the eastern United States.

Craft received an undergraduate degree in accounting in 1972 from the University of Kentucky before earning a law degree in 1976. During his time at the University of Kentucky, Craft was a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity.

The Joe Craft Center, a state-of-the-art basketball practice facility for the Kentucky Wildcats men's and women's basketball teams was named for him after he pledged $6 million toward the completion of the project. This was the largest private gift in the history of UK Athletics.

Joe Craft also sponsors the Craft Academy, a two-year residential high school at Morehead State University.

Political activism

In January 2012 Craft donated around $500,000 to Restore Our Future, a Super PAC supporting Mitt Romney. On July 11, 2016, Craft hosted a private fundraiser for Donald Trump at the Aviation Museum of Kentucky.

Awards

The University of Tulsa, Collins College of Business - 2008 Outstanding Business Leader
2007 City of Tulsa Oklahoma - Hall of Fame
Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year for the Southwest Region energy, chemical, and mining category