PCI's staff consists of a number of highly qualified team members who are recognized as the elite of their specialties by industry and their peers. Among them are holders of significant academic degrees and patents, with numerous industry and government awards in recognition of their achievements and contributions.

Francois Lacombe
Francois Lacombe
Chief Executive Officer
Francois Lacombe is an exceptional leader with extensive years of experience in senior management positions and expertise in international strategic business development, plan execution, aftermarket services, supply chain operations, sales and marketing strategies. In the past 20 years, he has worked mainly for Private Equity group in turn around situations prior to an exit. His strong leadership experience and international business acumen makes him the choice to drive and champion PCI’s global business growth objectives and meet the demands of our customers. Prior to joining PCI Lacombe held the role of CEO at Teleplan/Reconext, a Private Equity backed aftermarket services company. He also served as CEO of Anovo and became Senior Vice President Logistics and Repair at Ingram Micro CLS, following the sale of Anovo to Ingram Micro. Lacombe previously held a variety of leadership positions with Kiala (UPS Group), Kuehne + Nagel, General Electric, and Andersen Consulting Strategic Services.
Paul Stevens
Paul Stevens
Chief Financial Officer + VP and General Manager, Military Solutions
Paul has over 25 years of experience in the aerospace and defense industries. Prior to joining PCI in 2007, Paul completed a 20 year career at Sargent Fletcher (which was bought by Cobham PLC) - leaving briefly to join Northrop Grumman - and then returning to hold a variety of increasingly responsible positions in Operations/Materials Management, Business Development, Finance/Contracts and General Management, including a six-year stint as General Manager of the company's largest and most profitable business segment. His last assignment at Sargent Fletcher before joining PCI was Director of Finance and Contracts/Chief Financial Officer. Paul also served on Sargent Fletcher's Board of Directors. Paul holds a BA in Economics and received his MBA from California State University, Fullerton.
Soeren Schmitz
Soeren Schmitz
Chief Commercial Officer
Soeren joined PCI in December 2003 as head of Operations. He created PCI’s Oxygen Solutions business in 2007 and has been its Vice President & General Manager since. In 2015, Soeren initiated an effort to be more present in the international marketplace, resulting in the foundation of PCI Gases do Brasil and PCI Gases India in 2016. Prior to PCI, Soeren has worked over 10 years in management consulting providing growth strategies to manufacturing companies in industries such as consumer goods, building products, and medical equipment. Areas of expertise include subjects such as strategic planning, M&A, market and competitive intelligence, product innovation management, and continuous process improvement. Soeren received his Master's in Industrial Engineering from the University of Karlsruhe, Germany.
Terry Wheaton
Terry Wheaton
VP and General Manager, Oil & Gas Solutions
Terry has worked over 20 years in the Oil & Gas industry, both domestic and overseas. Terry has extensive experience in both oilfield equipment manufacturing as well as on the well servicing side. Terry joined PCI in 2006 from Halliburton where he was the Coiled Tubing and Nitrogen Services Operations Manager for Canada as well as parts of the United States. Prior to Halliburton, Terry was the Technical Manager for Charge Air, a manufacturing company specializing in packaging compression and nitrogen membrane equipment. Terry also spent 7 years with Schlumberger overseas focusing on cementing, coiled tubing, nitrogen services, and stimulation projects.
Alicia Fernandez
Alicia Featherstone
Human Resources Director
Alicia has 15 years of experience in human resources within manufacturing, retail, legal, financial services, and staffing industries. Prior to joining PCI, Alicia held the position of Human Resources and Administration Manager for the Law Offices of Don Featherstone, PLC.; Human Resources Manager for Fleetwood Enterprises, Inc.; Recruiter for Washington Mutual Bank; and Human Resources Representative for Centis. Alicia received her Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration with a Minor in Spanish from the University of California, Riverside.
Tom Saari
Tom Saari
Director Aftermarket
Tom has over 16 years of experience in the Aerospace/Defense and gas separation industries. Prior to joining PCI in 2007, Tom was a Fluid Systems Engineer at AAI Corporation, where he designed and tested hydraulic and pneumatic systems for the Aerospace industry. After his initial role at PCI as a Program Manager for Medical Systems, Tom assumed the role of Regulatory Affairs and Quality Assurance Manager where he was instrumental in establishing processes and procedures that significantly enhanced PCI’s product quality and regulatory compliance. In Tom’s current role as Director, Aftermarket, he leads and manages PCI’s post-sales business on a global basis, including field service, maintenance, training, and support. In addition, Tom provides the management for aftermarket spares sales and customer service. Tom attended the University of Minnesota-Duluth and received his degree in Fluid Power Technology at the Alexandria Technical College.