Sponsored by Brecheen Pipe & Steel
“You can’t tell by looking at it,” says Danielle Brecheen of the fundamental element of her business. “From its appearance, a piece of steel is a piece of steel.”
But the difference between buying a prime product and a discount product in the steel industry can mean the difference between a sound structure and one that could be compromised—with disastrous consequences.
“We don’t cut corners when it comes to quality,” says Brecheen, the owner and CEO of Brecheen Pipe & Steel. “We sell our customers a prime product, because I want to be able to go to sleep at night and not worry that a structure is going to fall. A lot of people will buy discount products that aren’t to spec, or they’ll buy a bunch of steel off a job site without knowing what grade it is or where it comes from and then put it back into the marketplace. We don’t do that—a dollar to me is not worth a life.”
That commitment to honesty and quality has been at the heart of Brecheen Pipe & Steel since Brecheen’s father founded the Port Allen-based business in 1980. Brecheen joined the business in 1984 after first planning to become an orthopedic surgeon. “I went to LSU and did really well, and then I came to help my mom here one summer and I never left,” she says.
Under Brecheen’s leadership, the company has expanded its focus from primarily servicing the marine industry to providing carbon, stainless, aluminum and alloy steel and other related products to a host of industries ranging from petrochemical and refineries to paper, sugar, fabrication and construction. Brecheen leads a team of about 30 dedicated and experienced employees, up from only five when she first joined the firm. “We’ve grown in a very responsible, positive way,” she says.
Brecheen Pipe & Steel buys its products primarily from domestic steel mills. The company sells to a customer base that spans from Alexandria to the Gulf Coast and from Lake Charles to Slidell, and customers range from large plants to small mom-and-pop welding shops. The team prides itself on building relationships with its customers in a way that’s unmatched in the industry, including taking a 24/7 approach when needed.
“Customer service is very important to us,” Brecheen says. “A lot of the bigger companies can’t service their customers daily and might only make deliveries once a week. We deliver quickly; we’re a just-in-time supplier. And we believe in urgency: when a chemical plant calls and says they’re down and losing millions of dollars a minute of processing, that gets us in gear. We can address that urgent need.”
That kind of service sets Brecheen Pipe & Steel apart in an industry that also includes Fortune 5000 corporations with multiple distributorships around the country. It all comes back to trustworthiness, as Brecheen and her team have systems in place to ensure that the company’s inventory is 100% traceable so that it meets specifications for any project. “We have a very honest, straightforward approach to business,” she says. “We deal with reputable steel mills, and what you buy from us is what you get.”
Brecheen Pipe & Steel also consistently demonstrates a dedication to its local community, from sponsoring Little League baseball teams to facilitating the reflooring of a school gym through a sizeable donation. “We always try to give back locally, especially to activities that will help keep kids on the right path,” Brecheen says.
And while some might initially be surprised to learn that this company is woman-owned, Brecheen says she has never let her gender become a disadvantage in a male-dominated industry. She quickly rose above the boys’ club mentality to forge enduring business relationships. “I was able to do that because of our good name,” she says. “I love what I do, and it’s been a heck of a wonderful career.”
The growth and success of Brecheen’s business has made it clear to her that Brecheen Pipe & Steel continues to be on the right path, ready to address its customers’ demands for many years to come. “We’ve managed to stay in business for a long time, despite our smaller size,” she says. “We’re small but mighty.”
Visit brecheenpipeandsteel.com for more information.
