2021 Star Woman in Convenience winner: Tiina McCombie

When Tiina McCombie started as a customer service rep in 1980, she had no idea it was the start of a lifelong career in sales, product line and business management within the petroleum equipment industry.

“Now I help guide an industry-leading company with an incredible team of 500 employees and 15 branches spanning the country,” says McCombie.

A pillar in the industry, she is actively involved in coordinating the sales and project teams in the supply of equipment and services to the 12,000 service stations in Canada.

Her involvement has always been with the infrastructure and technical support of petroleum fuel systems, including wholesale distribution terminals and convenience retail dispensing systems. “It encompasses a broad spectrum of equipment and system integration from wellhead to nozzle that is challenging and always evolving.”

The challenges the industry faces are diverse and significant, everything from emergencies to keep fuel flowing safely in communities, to optimizing products and services in new technologies for sustainability and growth, notes McCombie. “My work is answering the tough questions and aligning resources across our company and our manufacturer partners in removing barriers and adapting to change.”