Brandi Houzenga, MBA, SSBBP
Brandi Houzenga, MBA, SSBBP, is a seasoned quality and continuous improvement leader with deep expertise in lean manufacturing and operational excellence. She currently serves as Director of Quality Assurance at a polyolefin facility producing shrink wrap film, where she leads initiatives focused on strengthening quality systems, improving efficiency, and building a strong culture of continuous improvement. With a Six Sigma Black Belt certification and HACCP training, she is recognized for her structured, data-driven approach and her ability to align teams around sustainable, high-impact process improvements.
Her career began in the aluminum industry, where she was born and raised professionally, starting on the production floor and progressing through a series of increasingly complex operational and leadership roles. Over more than a decade in manufacturing, she developed expertise in lean principles, business process improvement, and change management while advancing into senior leadership positions. A defining chapter of her journey came when she was recruited to serve as Director of Continuous Improvement in Alabama, where she was the only woman on the leadership team. In that environment, a mentor’s consistent message that she “deserved a seat at the table” and her voice mattered became a guiding influence in how she now leads and supports others.
Today, Brandi is deeply committed to developing people as much as improving processes. She takes pride in helping individuals find their strengths, build confidence, and discover their professional path, especially because others once invested in her when she doubted herself. Her leadership philosophy centers on humility, curiosity, and continuous learning seeking to understand rather than assuming she has all the answers. She believes growth comes from being challenged, admitting when she does not know something, and staying open to new perspectives. Grounded in this mindset, she continues to mentor others with the same encouragement she once received, helping build resilient teams and empowered individuals who believe their ideas can create meaningful change.
• HACCP Training
• SSBBP
• St. Ambrose University College of Business - MBA, Business Administration and Management, General
• Saint Ambrose University - BBA, Business with minor in Organizational Leadership
• Hamilton Technical College - AS, Electronics Engineering
• Graduated with honors
• Quad City Strongman (local non-profit focused on at-risk youth and lifting)
• Supporting daughter's charitable bakery events for LGBTQ community
• Supporting daughter's charitable bakery events for pet shelters
• Class room volunteer -
Junior Achievement
What do you attribute your success to?
I always remember that when I was younger, I didn't have role models like that to look at in the work world, in the work environment. So it's always encouraged me to say, somebody is watching me that I don't even know, and if I'm not willing to try, then who is? I try to remember that people don't always tell you they admire you - they remember things you do. So I try to keep that in my thought, that I could be setting the example for the next person. I could be helping to open the door for the next person, whether that's a female or a male. I want to help them get to the door - they have to walk through the door, but I want to help them get there. One of the things I'm most proud of is that I have people that worked for me, that I've mentored in the past, and we still connect. The former chief advisor to the CEO of where I worked at before, he still calls me and we contact each other and talk. Not so much my resume, but those relationships are the things that mean the most to me - that I was there for people when they needed somebody. I think there's great accomplishment in that.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The most impactful advice I received was from my boss, the president, when I was recruited to a job in Alabama as the Director of Continuous Improvement. I was the only woman on the leadership team, straight from the cornfields of Iowa in Alabama, so I definitely stood out. I asked him what he was looking for, and he told me 'you deserve a seat at the table, and I want you to have your voice.' He reiterated that to me all the time. He said he never wanted to see me standing against the wall. That message became my own message to people - you deserve a seat at the table. I just plunked right down and took my learns. I learned. I seeked to understand. I didn't say I had all the answers. In fact, I didn't want all the answers, because usually if you have all the answers, it's probably time to move on - you're in the wrong room. I still am in touch with him. He's been retired for a few years, but we still reach out to each other. That, to me, is impactful.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
The advice I would give anyone, female or male, is that you deserve a seat at the table. You do. Find your voice, and look for those mentors. Look for informal mentors. A lot of people think they have to have a mentor and it's a formal title - that is the farthest thing from the truth. I've had many informal mentors, male and female. If you look at the hierarchy above me, below me, next to me, you have to network with them because everybody has a strength. And not only are you learning something from that mentor, but that mentor is also learning something from you. That's how I've always taken every mentee I've had, formal or informal. It's like, I'm learning just as much from you as you're gleaning off of me. I'm just Brandi, but that is so empowering. So I always encourage people to find somebody that they're comfortable talking to, whether it's in a manufacturing industry, retail, restaurant services, any industry. Find a person immediately. That's gonna be your best chance to grow and develop.