#72 A Fearless Woman In The Metal Industry

This week on The WAM Podcast, host, Linda Rigano is joined by Edie Comminos, the owner of Alpha Metals Recycling Company in Chicago. Edie is a fearless and self-made woman who has established herself and her company as a force with which to be reckoned! In their conversation, the ladies talk about the metal industry and how it relates to the larger economic climate, the challenges that Edie has faced in a male-dominated industry, the lessons she has learned, and how finding your way to what you want often means taking note of what you don’t like.

Edie was named Woman Business Owner of the Year in 2018 in Chicago and Alpha Metals Recycling Company is a certified WBENC Women’s Business Enterprise. She discusses what has changed in her work over the years and what she looks forward to in the future. For all this and more, be sure to tune in!

“A lot of what I’ve learned in my life is the things that I didn’t want to do. And then, once in a while, you find something that you do want to do.” —Edie Comminos

MEET YOUR HOST

Linda Rigano

Linda Rigano is the Principal Consultant of The Rigano Group. Her expertise and enthusiasm for strategic and effective communication permeate all that she does as a consultant to B2B and B2C technology, manufacturing, supply chain, and publishing organizations to improve business performance and stakeholder relationships by building highly successful and measurable communications programs.

With over 20 years of industry experience, Linda has excelled in helping organizations advance the discussion of important industry issues. She was central to the development and promotion of ThomasNet’s annual Industry Market Barometer® (IMB) survey on the state of manufacturing, the ThomasNet/ISM “30 Under 30 Rising Supply Chain Stars” Recognition Program, and ThomasNet’s North American Scholarship Program. Linda also served as Director of Strategic Alliances for ThomasNet, and for many years was the Publisher of the Thomas Food Industry Register.

Throughout her career, Linda has been an active participant and presenter for manufacturing, supply management, and business associations. She is widely quoted in business and trade media, including Bloomberg Businessweek, Nightly Business Report, and Industry Today. Linda holds an MBA in marketing from Fordham University.

Connect with Linda Rigano on LinkedIn.

SPECIAL GUEST

Edie Comminos

In 2004, with a $100,000 home-equity loan, Edie Comminos founded Alpha Metals Corporation, one of the top B2B industrial metals recyclers in Chicago. Since then, Edie has grown Alpha Metals to become a $10 million-plus company and a certified WBENC Women’s Business Enterprise.

She was recently featured by Crain’s Chicago Business as a Notable Women of Manufacturing and recognized as one of Enterprising Women Magazine’s 2019 Enterprising Women of the Year Award Winners.

Edie is currently president-elect of the Chicago chapter of NAWBO, the second largest chapter in the country. She also belongs to the NAWBO Spirit Foundation’s Young Entrepreneurs Academy CEO Roundtable and is a member of Women in Manufacturing (WIM) and the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association.

Edie’s philosophy of “failure is not an option” has served her well over the years as a business owner, mother of two sons, employer, peer, and mentor.

To learn more about Edie Comminos and Alpha Metals Corporation, connect with her on LinkedIn, connect with Alpha Metals Corporation on LinkedIn, and visit alphametalsrecycle.com