HOUSTON (KIAH) – As May marks Small Business Month, CW39 Houston’s Paige Hubbard highlights Brandi Harleaux, the woman leading the charge in South Post Oak Recycling Center.
South Post Oak Recycling Center is a Houston-based metal recycling company with a mission to “move metals responsibly.” “I think my journey was probably a little atypical, not like anyone coming into a second-generation business,” Harleaux said.
Harleaux probably never imagined he would continue his parents’ legacy by running their recycling business. But when a colleague planted a seed to explore the company, she didn’t shy away from the challenge; Instead, she leveraged her creativity, resilience, and commitment to ensure she took the family business to the next level. “I just didn’t want to go in and follow in my mother’s or my father’s footsteps,” she said.
After working in corporate America for almost 15 years, Harleaux decided to leave his job and transition into entrepreneurship. She shared that the move came with a lot of thought and reflection, followed by difficult discussions with her loved ones.
“To really say hey, what is our risk tolerance? This is how I would like to grow. Are you all open to growth? What will be our roles and responsibilities? So a lot of times those are conversations that I don’t think people have from the beginning and I think they create a lot of friction in business,” she said.
Eleven years and counting, Brandi has been carrying the torch as executive director of the South Post Oak Recycling Center. An industry that she believes is dominated by men, but with the help of her father, along with her own courage and determination, Brandi was able to overcome that obstacle.
“I think that was just being able to have really challenging conversations that you might not want to have with a male colleague or mentor. I think forming those relationships in the industry early on and not as a sorority, but as a professional bond, has really helped,” she said.
In 2023, Brandi was honored as Businesswoman of the Year not only for Houston but for the entire state of Texas by the Small Business Administration. Her recognition also rewarded her with a trip to the White House.
“It was a special experience. At first I thought it was a joke, but I quickly received an email from the SBA saying, “You’ll get an email from the White House and that’s your invitation to the Rose Garden,” Harleaux said.
The Houston native hopes her work inspires other women to give it their all and strive for excellence no matter the circumstances. “There always needs to be excellence. I see myself as a business person who happens to be a woman and I tell people that all along I went from fairy dust to royal dust and I haven’t looked back,” she said.
This year, South Post Oak Recycling Center celebrates 30 years in business and to encourage more women to join the metal recycling industry, Brandi relaunched a group of women in recycling. If you would like more information about the recycling center, Click here.