Don Marston formed Marston & Marston, Inc. in 1977. His mission: to fill the huge gap between geological services firms and market and financial consultants. With more than 20 years experience in mine development, operations and executive management, he is a recognized industry innovator; Marston offers real solutions to real problems and planning.

The '70s: From inception, Marston was up and running, providing mineable coal reserve analyses, long-term mine plans and budgets, and management consulting to coal companies and electric utilities in the coalfields of the eastern United States.

The '80s: Marston continued to produce detailed mine plans and feasibility studies for new projects throughout the United States, and also expanded its services into western Canada. The company developed specialized expertise in building accurate, computer-based geologic models, reserve estimates and open-pit mine plans. In 1982, Marston purchased a super minicomputer complete with geological modeling, mine scheduling and database software. Company engineers integrated the software for use in detailed mine planning on a wide variety of opencast, open-pit and underground mining projects throughout the United States and Canada.

The '90s: Marston's international consulting work accelerated rapidly as independent power producers began limited-recourse financing of major coal-fired projects. Marston consultants provided coal advisory services on nearly every major coal-fired IPP in Indonesia, and other projects developed throughout Southeast Asia, and have since taken a global leap.

The '90s also heralded Marston's growth in environmental and mine services business. Marston Environmental, the company's first such office in San Antonio, Texas, opened to initially serve the U.S. Gulf Coast lignite mining industry.

Meanwhile, in Denver, Colorado, Marston expanded to provide fully integrated field data collection, drill site geology, geological mapping, geologic modeling and environmental services to coal producers throughout the western United States. Staffed with specialists and equipped with the latest database, analytical and GIS capabilities, Marston offered clients total geological and environmental data management services, completely customized per mine.

Since 1984, Marston has provided services to the Australian and Asian mining and energy sectors. In 1998, Marston International Pty. Ltd. was established with offices in Newcastle, New South Wales to better serve the Asian and Australian mining sector.

Today: Marston remains committed to improving its capabilities through investments in personnel training and technology. All Marston geologists and engineers are equipped with complete workstations ready for transport to any mine site. Technically advanced, Marston offers practical use solutions to the unique problems of every mine.

Marston continues to provide sharp and objective practical mine planning and consulting grounded in firm geologic, engineering and economic principles.

Tomorrow: Dedicated to practical, optimized solutions, Marston professionals will remain better equipped than its competitors to provide in-depth, practical answers to the complex technical and economic issues confronting global mineral resource development.