Olive Storey, former executive director of Western Canada Tire Dealers and former owner of Advanx Tire, passed away in Winnipeg on Jan. 22, 2018.

Storey was widely regarded as a ground-breaker, being among the first women to hold a senior executive position in the tire industry in North America.

Born in Vancouver in 1927, Storey married her husband, Gord, in 1950. Gord was the western sales manager for Dunlop Tires and later purchased Advanx Tire and established a wholesale division, Astro Tire Distributors BC Ltd. Olive joined the company and became office manager until Gord passed away unexpectedly in 1972.

After her husband’s death, Olive ran Advanx Tire for several years. As the first female general manager of an independent tire company in Canada, she expanded the retail network and modernized existing facilities, including the head office.

Advanx Tire was purchased by Kal Tire in 1981. In 1983, she became executive director of Western Canada Tire Dealers and Retreaders Association (now WCTD). She was North America’s first female tire association executive director, a position she held for 15 years. In, 2011, Olive was inducted into the WCTD Hall of Fame.