Born: I was born Sept. 6, 1979, in Brownsville, Texas, and I lived there until I left for college.
Education: In 2002 I graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in sociology from the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio.
Family: My husband Roger and I just celebrated our 19th anniversary. We have three children—Santiago, 13, and twins Xavi and Veeda, 11.
When and how did you enter the recycling industry? Like most people, I didn’t know the industry existed, but my husband grew up working in his family’s metal recycling business, Comal Iron & Metals, so I first heard about it through him. In contrast, I started working for a big grocery store chain here in Texas from the age of 16 while still going to school. I worked for that company full time through college and was on the fast track before I even graduated. Roger and I started dating in college and, after graduating, I assumed my career path would be with the grocery store chain. But Roger’s mom—my soon-to-be mother-in-law—asked me to join Comal Iron & Metals. She asked me three questions about my grocery store job that would change my life: Will you ever have a set schedule? Will you ever have guaranteed weekends off? And will you ever own that company? I answered no to every question. So, at 22, I was at a fork in the road. Do I want to work for a corporation and be known for my fancy suits—or do I want to work in a family business and be known for showing up at my kids’ soccer games and their other activities? That’s how I chose to work in the recycling business. I joined Comal full time in late 2002.
What was it about the industry that prompted you to build a career in it? A lot of it is knowing that we’re doing good—we’re recycling, we’re green. I also love how we take care of our community in so many ways. When we pay for scrap materials, we’re putting money back into our community. We help businesses be successful through our company. And we provide a great place to work, especially for our blue-collar guys. I’m proud of them. We make sure they know that they’re making a difference. Here, they matter—they matter as humans, they matter to the planet. We often tell them, “You guys are the unsung heroes in this industry. Every piece of iron you cut, every bale you make, every piece of copper you strip, it has a bigger impact than you will ever know.”
What have been your most rewarding professional achievements? Being selected to serve as CEO of Comal in 2021 was the most humbling experience for me. I never expected that to happen. I always thought my husband Roger or his brother Johnnie Jr. would be CEO.
The leadership shift in our company began when covid hit in 2020. My father-in-law came into the office and I asked, “What do we do now?” He looked at me and said, “I don’t know.” For the first time, he didn’t have an answer, so someone else had to figure it out. That was the official transferring of the leadership baton in the business. So Roger took the lead and asked me to be his right-hand person. We started looking at the longevity of the business, and we drew up an organizational chart based on what the business needed for the future. The natural decision would have been for Roger or Johnnie Jr. to be CEO. But when we looked at their natural strengths, where they could bring the most value, and what Comal needs going forward, I was very humbled when they picked me.
Aside from that honor, I was incredibly proud when Gulf Coast Region President Becky Proler asked me to serve on the GCR board as one of her president’s picks for the 2023-2025 term. And I’m proud to note that Comal is marking its 55th anniversary this year, and the company is now in its third generation of family leadership.
Personal achievements? At one point, Roger and I had three children under 2½ years old, which is a badge I wear with honor. I’m also very grateful that I can help run a family business and still show up for my children’s activities. As in any small business, there are a lot of sacrifices, day in and day out, but they don’t go unnoticed. I can work long hours one day and leave early the next to make my kids’ picnic or a Mother’s Day lunch. That may not be a plaque on a wall, but for me it’s something I’m very proud of.
What are you passionate about? I’m very passionate about people and leaving the world better than I found it. For example, whether an employee stays with us a day, a week, or years, I want them to be better because they’re here. That can mean we develop them by teaching them a new skill or that we hire someone who needs a second chance. I’m passionate about empowering our people.
Outside of the Comal gate, it’s important to me that my community is served. I believe that no one is an island. We’re all interconnected. When the tide rises for one, it rises for all. So I’m very passionate about giving back in the form of community service, both with my personal time and with Comal’s actions. For instance, I can’t tell you how many times we’ve provided a bin for free at local school dances—even if we collect just 30 pounds of cans, we get to meet the next generation in our community. That matters to our community. I want to make sure that we show up and that they know we’re there for them because we care and because we live here.
Tell us something about you that would surprise people. I’m a first-generation Mexican American raised by parents who spoke only Spanish. I’m also the first person in my family to attend and graduate from college. My dad had maybe the equivalent of a high school education. My mom maybe had a fifth-grade education. I was born and raised in probably the poorest county in Texas along the border. So everything was set up for me not to succeed. When I left for college, I had less than $250 in my checking account, no car, no friends or family in San Antonio, and I still managed to pay my way through college.
If you could improve anything about yourself, what would it be? I’m working on understanding that not everyone thinks like me. I’m learning to love people where they are. It takes all kinds to make this planet go around.
What do you like to do in your free time? There’s nothing like a simple dinner date with my husband or just enjoying a show together on TV. We recently added geese and chickens to our lives, so that will be an interesting journey to learn how to care for them.
When and why did your company decide to join ISRI and the Gulf Coast Region? My father-in-law saw great value in numbers. He said, “These are the people you want to know because they’re out there fighting for you.” Since I stepped into a leadership role in Comal, we’ve been very involved in the association and the Gulf Coast Region. We’ve learned that we help to make this association work. It’s not a them; it’s an us.
What motivated you to become a GCR leader? I’ve never been the kind of person who just sits and watches. If I’m passionate about something, I’m going to get in there and play the game. I don’t always know what I’m going to learn, but I know it will be of value. Nothing is ever wasted. I’m especially excited to surround myself with the association leaders. Before I became a leader in my company, I didn’t have many connections in the industry. But more recently, I’ve been creating my own village, my own support group, through my leadership role. I have a seat at the table now, and that means a lot.
What are the major challenges facing your company and the overall recycling industry today? We continue to face the challenge of government regulations and how to adhere to them. We always want to comply, but we don’t always know how we’ll do it. For an independent small business, for instance, if we have stormwater runoff and are expected to install a $150,000 piece of equipment to handle it, that’s tough. We don’t have a staff of experts in different departments to help us. We wear many hats, and that’s tough because the world is moving and changing so fast. We’re being regulated like never before, so simply just keeping up is difficult. We just feel that, at the state and federal levels, decisions are being made without small businesses in mind.
