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Alum Brandi Harleaux Wins Young Executive of the Year Award and Gives Back to Graziadio


Brandi HarleauxThis year, the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI) has created a new industry award, New Young Executive of the Year Award. The new award celebrates the dedication, accomplishments and business and community leadership of young professionals who work in ISRI member companies. During ISRI’s 2020 Virtual Award Ceremony alum Brandi Harleaux was presented the industry award. Brandi serves as the chief operations officer at Houston-based South Post Oak Recycling Center, a metal recycler with the primary focus to buying and recycling non-ferrous and ferrous metals.

“Young executives are both the present and future of our industry,” says ISRI President Robin Wiener. “Brandi represents the best of ISRI and the recycling industry. She brings a plethora of professional and volunteer experience, a passion for the recycling industry and a desire to leave a lasting impact on everything she touches. ISRI is thrilled to recognize her as our inaugural Young Executive of the Year Award recipient.”

Brandi manages South Post Oak Recycling Center’s strategy, finances, and leads a team that oversees operations, marketing, sales, and customer relations. Thanks to Brandi’s leadership, her and her team have achieved up to 25 percent growth in the last two years.

“I truly feel honored and privileged to represent the young executives as the first award recipient,” Harleaux says. “My dad said when I joined our company and the trade association that the best way to learn about the industry was to get involved. That’s what I plan to continue doing—one day at a time. Connecting with both young executives and women in recycling to share perspective about my experience in this vast industry and learn about others is invaluable. I look forward to continuing to serve where I can, learn, grow and have an impact.”

In addition to Brandi’s activity with ISRI and with several other business, leadership, and entrepreneurship groups, she is also an active Pepperdine Graziadio alumni and frequently is a guest speaker for events and shares her expertise with Graziadio students as a guest lecturer. Most recently, Brandi participated in The Feasibility of New Venture Ideas course where she provided key insights on how to handle differences between the growth goals of first and second generation leaders in a family business, how to thrive in spite of an unexpected economic disaster, and how to use one’s means to arrive at an unforeseen but desired conclusion.