WOMAN OF THE YEAR: Tammy Floyd
SAN ANTONIO — Graduating from the University of Houston with a degree in accounting and a minor in Spanish, Tammy Floyd started working in the convenience store industry in 2007 when she joined Valero Energy Corp. on the refining side as a manager in budgeting and forecasting. When the company was thinking about spinning off the retail division, Floyd participated in the survey process and eventually went over to the retail division for a year to help get accounting set up and running efficiently.
“We looked at our systems and set it up so we could automate things, and then I went back to the refining side until the IPO [initial public offering] was eminent in April 2012. Then I came back,” she recounted.
She is now vice president and controller for CST Brands Inc., based in San Antonio and operating approximately 1,000 convenience stores.
Floyd is responsible for the accounting operations of the company, including periodic financial reports, maintenance of accounting records, integration and development of newly acquired assets, and more. But that isn’t her favorite part of the job.
“There are a lot of technical aspects to my job, but my favorite part is I get to have a seat at the table where decisions are being made, and the product of those decisions consumers are seeing. It’s impacting thousands of people on a daily basis,” Floyd explained. “When creating our large store format, there were several options for colors and signage, and I participated in making those decisions. I get a lot of satisfaction from that.”
When it comes to her greatest accomplishment so far, it’s building a solid team to support her and the company. Before the spinoff, the U.S. and Canadian divisions operated independently. She worked to build a team to operate as one.
“I started on that from day one, and it didn’t happen overnight, but I’m proud of the way the team is functioning today,” she said.
Acknowledging there are more women in the industry today than in the past, Floyd knows the role of women in convenience is important because many companies are targeting the female customer.
“In our industry, women are a sought-after customer base. The industry is recognizing women are a target market, and they are seeking us out more because they want to cater to us and get us into the store,” she noted.
As a Valero and now CST Brands employee, Floyd has given her opinion on what women would want from the chain. For instance, when Valero started building bigger stores and was working to create the designs, Floyd had a 1-year-old child and mentioned it would be nice to have a changing table in the bathroom. Now, each store has that option.
Her advice to other women in the industry is to not be afraid to speak up, because their opinion means a lot to the industry.
“Don’t be afraid to give an opinion about a product or bringing something into the stores,” she said. “Women should never lose sight of what they mean to the industry. Your opinion matters so let it be known.”