bcbusiness.ca OctOber 2014 BCBusiness 67
Lisa Tuningley
President, T-Rail Products
L
isa Tuningley, president of railway
services T-Rail Products, says "rail
has been around so long that it's gone
quiet in our minds"—quiet, that is,
until something big happens. "Unfor-
tunately in our business, when bad things
happen they're tragedies," she says, referring
to the fatal 2013 derailment in Lac-Megantic,
Quebec. "But every day good things happen,
and they go unnoticed."
The 41-year-old Delta native has made it
her mandate to be a part of that good—and to
curb the bad. Her Surrey-based firm functions
as a middleman for companies building pri-
vate rail lines that lack the knowhow—say,
a potash company looking to transport its
goods from central Saskatchewan to the
nearest Canadian Pacific line. Tuningley's
firm finds the right specialists—each proj-
ect has unique needs—and secures build-
ing materials while ensuring the line is
built efficiently and, all importantly, as
securely as possible. Aside from safety
concerns, an out-of-service railway can
cost a company millions. "We help alle-
viate any potentials risks," she says.
And clearly, there's a market for
it. Her company, which launched in
2010 with just two employees, dou-
bled revenue in its second year and
continues to double sales projec-
tions on a regular basis, according
to Tuningley. These days, T-Rail
brings in $16 million in annual rev-
enue and has a dozen employees.
She says it's important to balance
rapid growth with building a strong
team that has an unwavering focus
on quality.
Tuningley's other aim is personal:
finding time to enjoy Vancouver's outdoors
again. This year has been an especially busy
one for her, so she wants to get back to hiking
and "trying to surf—which basically means
getting beat up by the waves." But that suits
her just fine. "When difficult things happen,
I'm like, Yes—this is a chance to grow." —T.M.
OctOber 2014 BCBusiness 67 bcbusiness.ca
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