Gary Shortt's commute to work is tougher than most. Car ride: 32 miles. Elevator: 1,735 feet, straight down. Underground rail car: 7 miles.

But these days, the 54-year-old coal-mine supervisor is feeling downright spunky about going to work. You might too, if your employer and its stock price were doing as well as Tampa's Walter Industries. With metallurgical coal fetching record prices in the global marketplace — it's used to turn lead into steel — subsidiary Jim Walter Resources of Brookwood, Ala., is expanding production as fast as it safely can.

Shortt is seeing the growth firsthand. His crew of 45 operates the only longwall machine in Mine No. 7. But Jim Walter is gearing up to add a second 850-foot-wide mechanism and crew, preparations for which cost the company $72-million last year.

In a small way, Shortt is sharing in Walter's stock-price surge; the company provided matching shares for open-market purchases he made. But job security may be the biggest benefit.

"When the (coal) pricing's low, then you're kind of worried if the mine's going to stay, if it's going to exist," he said. "It's always a better feeling to know you're making a lot of money than just squeaking by."