On Thursday evening, May 22, New Braunfels, Texas-based Comal Iron & Metals hosted a celebration at their facility for being recognized as a Texas Treasure Business. This prestigious award, presented by the Texas Historical Commission, honors businesses that have provided exceptional service to their communities for 50 years or more.
“It’s a meaningful recognition of our deep roots in New Braunfels and our continued commitment to Texas values,” said Marcie Rodriguez, CEO of Comal Iron & Metals. “We’re standing alongside well-established Texas businesses like H.E.B. and Bill Miller BBQ. This award demonstrates that we’re an integral part of Texas business history and acknowledges that we’ve served our community, helped in the economy, and moved Texas forward.”
Preparing for the recognition took Rodriguez the better part of a year as she had to find historic records to demonstrate that Comal Iron & Metals had been in the business for more than 50 years.
“Because Grandpa Pasqual started Comal Iron & Metals in a little shed near his house, so he didn’t have a permit,” Rodriguez said. “So, I had to do some digging. I made some connections with the community, which was great. I worked with a historian in town as well as the folks at the Sophienburg Museum & Archives, a museum in town whose mission is to capture the history of New Braunfels.”
She was able to locate a city directory that traced the company to 1971 and found minutes from a city council meeting in late 1977. The minutes stated that Comal Iron & Metals had been around since 1969, demonstrating that the company was at least 55 years old. As she continued digging, she realized she couldn’t tell Comal’s history without telling the history of the land, and she talked about the land without telling the story of the town. By the time she was done collecting information, she had a five-inch binder full of stories, memories, and the history.
“For example, we realized there was an old railroad depot on our property that was pivotal to a small town nearby called Gruene, Texas,” she said. “Part of telling this story demonstrates that we’ve always been industrial, and the land we’re on has always been industrial, blue-collar land. We’re keeping up a tradition that’s as old as New Braunfels. The stories lead back to Comal Iron & Metals as part of the thread that connects us together.”
According to Rodrigeuz, Comal Iron & Metals is proud of the threads that connect the company to the community of New Braunfels. The company has locked arms with other nonprofits in the area, both environmental and nonenvironmental organizations.
“We’re on the same team as the environmental groups we partner with such as Comal Conversation, which makes sure our waters are protected, and the Greater Edwards Aquifer Alliance that promotes advocacy for protecting the Edwards Aquifer, its springs, watersheds, and the Texas Hill Country that sustains it,” Rodrigeuz said. “We just play a different position. If you think of it like a baseball team, the environmental organizations are in the outfield and Comal Iron & Metals is the catcher—as a recycled materials company we are part of every play.”
From high rises to high tech, the work of recycled materials companies is integral to the supply chain, economy, and daily life.
“We’re the first step of the recycling process, the first step of giving new life to recycled materials,” Rodriguez said. “We walk in faith, not always seeing the loop close or the fruits of our labor but knowing that the material we process will be used to create something new whether that everyday items or essential infrastructure that people depend on.”
As she looks ahead toward the future of her company, Rodriguez hopes that Comal Iron & Metals will become a common name within the community and recognized as an integral part of New Braunfels past, present, and future.
“We’ve locked arms with the community, they know who we are and what we are and from there we’ll be ready for whatever we’re called to do next,” she said.
Photos Courtesy of Comal Iron & Metals.
