2022 Star Women in Convenience winner: Julie Stinson

Regional operations manager - Ontario West

Parkland Corporation

How did you get into this business? 

I began part time at a Hamilton, Ont. Pioneer Gas Bar while I was in high school. I had great managers that were eager to teach, and I continued to learn the day-to-day operations in numerous capacities. This led to an opportunity to join the head office in our retail finance department. I worked through various positions in finance over a 20-year period leading me to seek an opportunity with the Parkland acquisition and transitioned to the field as a retail ops territory manager for the Niagara Peninsula.

What do you like most about your job? 

My tenure with Pioneer/Parkland has enabled me to form many amazing relationships on many different levels. I thrive on collaborations, get excited when positive results are generated, and I take great pride in sharing my knowledge and best practices with others on our teams. Community is also important. I have many rural location sites and the sense of community is like no other, being able to be a part of that through our customers is very rewarding.

What's the best advice you ever received? 

A former colleague once told me during a great time of change that coming together is a beginning, keeping together is progress, and working together is success.

What's your career highlight or proudest achievement? 

Most recently I was a successful candidate for our Ontario retail operations manager position. A rewarding tenure in many different areas of the business, an appetite to continuously learn and develop, and an overall true passion for this business has presented me with an amazing new opportunity.

What are you most proud of during the last year? 

I think hands down it was leading my team of retail business partners through the many challenges of COVID – from a health and safety and overall morale of our business partners and their staff. We navigated as a team through some large execution requirements and challenges very well. Everyone worked as a team to keep business operating, keep our staff and communities safe, and continue to offer and strive for best-in-class service.

What excites you most about the future of this channel? 

The growth potential and continuous evolving of the c-store channel is very exciting – finding new ways to align new synergies within the existing business is paramount in staying with, if not ahead of, your competition. There is always a new venture or project in the pipe, and they move quickly. Contributing to those successes as a team is very rewarding.