2026 Distinguished Alumnus Mike Brochu on Asking, Adapting, and Leading

The Big Picture

He walked in without an appointment.

Mike Brochu ’74 wanted to stay in El Paso after graduation. He had offers elsewhere, but none at home. When his father suggested El Paso Natural Gas, Brochu said the company had not recruited on campus and he knew no one there.

His father’s response was a look. Why should that stop him?

Brochu put on his only blue suit and went to the company’s Texas Street office. He asked to see a senior executive. He had no appointment, but said he could wait. An executive eventually invited him in, and Brochu introduced himself with a direct request: “I want to work for you.”

They talked for about an hour. That evening, Brochu joined the executive and two colleagues for dinner. He accepted their job offer the next morning.

“I got that job solely on one credential, the fact that I went to school here.”
Mike Brochu ’74
2026 UTEP Distinguished Alumnus

What UTEP Gave Him

The coursework was only part of it.

Brochu grew up in a family of eight in a three-bedroom El Paso home. His parents had not attended college, but wanted their children to go. At UTEP, he worked at a bank during the week and built fences on weekends while studying accounting.

He told students that he took more than subject knowledge into his first job. He learned to analyze a problem, work with a team, speak in public, and recognize when he needed help.

“I don’t do shy,” he said. When he struggled in a class, he went to the professor and asked questions. He urged students to do the same in school and at work.

The Long View

A career changes when the business does.

Brochu rose through the ranks at El Paso Natural Gas. When Burlington Northern took over, he worried about his place in the new organization. A senior colleague stopped him as he complained on Texas Street and told him to make a choice: work with the new owners or leave.

Brochu stayed. Later, investors hired him to lead companies with strong products and troubled operations. He ran six companies over the final 25 years of his career. In each one, he asked employees what they did and how their work helped the business reach its goal.

He also wanted people around him who would challenge his decisions. “I did not ever want to be the smartest person in the room,” he said.

Students asked about reaching executive roles, making mistakes, and finding mentors. Brochu’s advice was practical: tell people what you hope to do, volunteer for more responsibility, keep your skills current, and listen when someone tells you a decision is wrong. He said some of his hardest mistakes came when he waited too long to make a change.

He ended where he began: with the students and the degree they were working toward.

“This university has as much to offer as any other school out there. You just have to make that happen.”
Mike Brochu ’74
2026 UTEP Distinguished Alumnus