Today we’d like to introduce you to Nidhi Turakhia.
Nidhi, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
The journey began, unbeknownst to me, in the recycling industry during high school, where my father offered me a summer job as an intern at his scrap metal company. After high school, I went on to the University of Texas at Austin and graduated with a double B.A. in Economics and Spanish. My intentions were to immediately attend law school with the goal of becoming a defense attorney or working for a legal aid program. Yet again, and at my father’s request I agreed to work for one year to help start-up a new metal recycling brokerage company. The agreement made was, “If I didn’t enjoy it, I could go back to pursuing law school”. I have never looked back and jumped in whole heartedly to first Titan Metals, and later to Allied Alloys.
Over time as my family’s principal interest in Allied Alloys grew so did my responsibilities. I am now the executive vice president of both Allied Alloys and Titan Metals with my primary responsibility being a metals trader. Additionally, I oversee Human Resources, Logistics, Projects, and Indirect Purchasing. Some of my favorite accomplishments at my company are being able to create an internship program and changing the demographics of the company. We went from 4 people to over 100 in less than two years so the growth has been tremendous.
In my role at Allied Alloys, I began attending shows and conferences to expand our network and in return was able to expand my own. These conferences opened many doors for me and because of this I was able to serve on numerous boards including the Association of Women in the Metals Industries board, the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries Gulf Coast Chapter, and now as a co-chair for the Women in Recycling.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I believe all entrepreneurs can share the struggling experience of growth but for me particularly it was very difficult in the 90’s and early 2000’s for a woman to find a solid place in this sector because the recycling industry is very male-dominated, and was especially difficult for a woman of color. I am seeing firsthand now the change in the demographics and it has been a long road and still is a struggle oftentimes for women to have a place at the table. We are constantly being questioned on our experience because many scrap metal companies possess a lot of heavy equipment which is typically a man’s job however these barriers are slowly being broken down.
On top of that this industry is not taught in schools or collegiate institutions so it is a very hands on learning experience which can be difficult at times. To add my company has gone through now two economic recessions which were very tough times but with hard work and dedication we were able to pull through it without laying off one person.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Allied Alloys – what should we know?
Allied Alloys is a full-service scrap metal and metals management company with 2 locations in Houston. Each location is roughly 15 acres and we specialize in stainless steel and nickel alloys, a very niche market. We are known for our stainless steel blends which are packages that we have built for our customers that guarantees a chemistry (ex, 8% Nickel, 12% Chrome, 2% Moly, balance Iron). There are only three companies in the world that do what we do and we are one of the largest processors in the world and the largest in the gulf coast region because we process roughly 12,000 metric tons of metal every month.
What sets us apart from others is the fact that all three partners, including myself, are full-time hands on workers so we are able to make executive decisions a lot faster than the other companies in our field. As a company, we are most proud of our market foothold, how innovative we are, and our ability to easily change our business model when needed. We are very agile in that sense and can quickly move from shipping 75% of our material domestically to 75% being exported to countries all around the world.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
My father is my mentor, my mom is my biggest supporter, and my sister is the best cheerleader. In addition to them I have many women in this industry and even within my company that I rely on. You cannot come this far without a team and I am extremely fortunate to have the team that I have both in my professional and personal life. Always surround yourself with good people and you can conquer anything is my motto!
Contact Info:
- Address: 6002 Donoho Street, Houston, TX 77033 and 6767 Kirbyville Street, Houston, TX 77033
- Website: www.alliedalloys.com
- Phone: 713.643.6966
- Email: nturakhia@alliedalloys.com
- Instagram: ntura1381
- Facebook: facebook.com/alliedalloys
- Twitter: ALLIED ALLOYS
- Yelp: ALLIED ALLOYS
- Other: ALLIED ALLOYS
Image Credit:
Candy Fox Studios
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