An accidental path in lubrication
By Joe Weinand | TLT Volunteer's Voice June 2026
Being an active volunteer not only helps me in my career, but it also makes it more enjoyable.
I usually tell people I’m an accidental lubrication engineer.
Coming out of college with a chemical engineering degree, I was hired to work in a refinery. That was the plan. Before I even started, though, they put a hiring freeze in place during the oil glut in 1984 and asked whether I would be interested in “marketing.”
That wasn’t what I had in mind, but I said yes. I’ve been selling lubricants ever since. Early on, I didn’t think of it as a technical job. It felt more like something I would do until I got back into a refinery role. But that didn’t last long. Once you start working with customers, you realize quickly that lubrication isn’t just about products; it’s about solving problems.
Most conversations turn into discussions around failures, contamination, application issues and how to keep equipment running. Over time, you find yourself using more of the engineering background than you expected. It just shows up differently. That part of the job is what kept it interesting for me.
In 2001, I was told that getting the STLE Certified Lubrication Specialist™ (CLS) certification would help my career. At the time, I looked at it as something I probably should do, but it turned out to be more important than I expected. It helped put structure around what I had been learning in the field and made me better at helping customers with real problems.
It also changed how I looked at what I was doing. I wasn’t just selling lubricants anymore—I was helping with reliability. From there, getting involved with STLE was a natural step.
Through the CLS Committee and my work in the Pacific Northwest Section, I had the chance to work with many good people across the industry. You learn quickly that most of us are dealing with the same types of challenges, just in different plants or different regions.
Being involved gives you a broader view. You’re not just focused on your own accounts—you’re part of a bigger conversation about how to do things better across the industry.
As I look back on my career, one thing I didn’t expect was the number of good friendships that came out of it. I’ve made a lot of friends who work for other companies—people who, technically, are competitors—but we have a lot in common. Like any friendship, I enjoy the time together and always seem to learn something from those conversations.
Looking back, what started as a change in plans turned into a career that’s been very rewarding. It also shows that careers don’t always go the way you think they will. If I had one piece of advice, it would be to stay open to those changes and keep building your technical knowledge.
Whether that’s through certifications, STLE or just time in the field, it all adds up.
I didn’t plan on ending up in lubrication, but it turned out to be a good place to spend a career. Being an active volunteer not only helps me in my career, but it also makes it more enjoyable.
Joe Weinand is Lubrication Engineer at Coleman Oil Company. You can reach him at joe.weinand@gmail.com.