Employee Spotlight October 2021 - Josh Talley
Name: Josh Talley
Title: Manager, Pricing & Supply - Aviation
Location: Houston
Years with Phillips: 20
Describe yourself in three words: Adaptable, Resourceful, Encouraging
What do you love most about your job? I’ve been an avid aviation enthusiast for as long as I can remember. My wife has had the pleasure of being taken to plane spotting locations on nearly every vacation. There might have been some negotiation involved! Beyond my love for aviation, the people on the Aviation team are simply some of the most warm, focused and driven people I have worked with. It’s been such a great experience getting to know everyone and learning the business.
Briefly describe your professional history and how you arrived at Phillips 66. My journey started at Wood River Refinery where I was a tester working shift work in the lab. While I enjoyed refinery operations it became clear after three years that I was not cut out for rotating 12-hour shifts! I moved to Houston and took a Quality Coordinator role in Lubricants. I then had the opportunity to do just about every job within Lubricants over the next 14 years and moved six different times. It was an exciting time in my career as I learned various aspects of the value chain. I came to Aviation just over two years ago and have been thoroughly enjoying getting to know the team and contributing to the success of the business.
What’s the most unusual or interesting job you’ve had? I mentioned that I worked in the lab at the refinery. Part of working in the lab required being on the refinery fire brigade. I was trained to fight process and structural fires. My role was to drive and operate a pump truck. Although I had an image of what that might entail from watching TV shows, it was decidedly not like that at all! I didn’t appreciate the gravity of these situations until I witnessed it firsthand. Fire fighters have my utmost respect.
What do you enjoy doing in your free time? My wife, Jill, and I enjoy traveling. This, like many other things, have been put on hold for the past 18 months while the world navigates COVID.
What’s your favorite place to travel to? Hawaii, no question. The beauty of the islands are stunning.
What are you currently reading/ binge watching? This is a timely question as I was just discussing shows to binge watch with a colleague the other day. We started to watch The Sopranos again and have made it through five seasons in just a few weeks. The storytelling and character development of the show is really second to none.
What’s a surprising fact about you? I’m not sure how surprising it is but I enjoy building computers. It was something I started with my Dad back in….well a long time ago!
How do you define success? Success to me is like a rising tide, lifting everyone that is involved. Success is rarely achieved in a vacuum, and I think it is very important to acknowledge everyone’s contribution.