The Hodge Companies logged a strong order book into the first two months of 2026, as the firm anticipates new investments and growth opportunities this year.
“Entering 2026, the Hodge Companies holds $35 million of booked work to be completed,” reports Krista Bensinger, business support manager. This will warrant continued investment in equipment and facilities, she says, including a CNC five-axis high-definition pipe profiler and new employees.
Meanwhile, Hodge is nearing completion on a 70,000-square-foot addition at its complex in New Waterford, Ohio, Bensinger says. The expansion will streamline fabrication processes, increase operational efficiency and create space for approximately 15 additional workstations and future manufacturing hires. The project included the addition of eight overhead cranes and a five-axis horizontal boring mill.
The company is comprised of Steelcon, Hodge Construction, Amron and FH Equip – a diversified group that serves industrial, commercial and energy-sector clients across the tristate region, Texas, Louisiana and Oklahoma.
Hodge Construction, founded in 1995, is a full-service commercial-industrial contractor. Steelcon followed in 2002, as a metals fabrication shop, Amron, founded in 2015, expanded the company’s capabilities into material testing, while FH Equip, launched in 2018, added transportation and logistics services. Together, these companies employ 80 people.
In 2025, Steelcon became the manufacturing partner for Work Marine, a ship and barge designer and fabricator, with a patent-pending work-ship in production, Bensinger says.
Sales across Hodge Companies increased 20% in 2025, Bensinger reports. Despite regional labor shortages, approximately 15 employees joined the team last year. These included welders, assemblers, processors, CNC machinists, paint/blast specialists, hydrotesters, engineers, drafters and administrative
staff.
Also in 2025, the Hodge Companies implemented several new employee incentive programs. Among these were a family academic achievement incentive, finished product/scheduling bonus and a first-time homeowners’ incentive.
The Hodge Companies strengthened community engagement in 2025 with its second annual open house – an event that raised $15,000, for the Columbiana County Career and Technical Center to support welding and machining programs. Local parks were also recipients of donations.
Pictured: Construction on a 70,000-square-foot expansion at Hodge Companies in New Waterford is nearing completion, the company says.
