Hodge Companies Plans Another Plant Addition

NEW WATERFORD, Ohio — A 35,000-square-foot addition at The Hodge Companies sets the stage for more expansions in 2020, says product development manager Brianna Cope.

This year, a 15,000-square-foot addition is in the works along with a 200-by-30-foot sandblast and paint room.

The Hodge Companies is composed of Steelcon, Hodge Construction, Amron and FH Equip, and collectively employs 50. In 2020, the parent company will launch TechStart, a training program for its workers.

Among other planned investments is software from Siemens, Computational Fluid Dynamics, which will join in-use software such as Compress Codeware and Autodesk Inventory.

“Along with the addition of higher-end software, the Hodge Companies invested in greater in-house computing power to handle complicated problem-solving scenarios, which sometimes run for days,” Cope says.

Steelcon, founded in 2002, is a structural and pressure engineering and fabrication shop. It has seen annual sales increase at least 10% each of the past five years, according to Cope. The division is certified with ISO 9001:2015, the American Society of Engineers, the American Welding Society and others.

FH Equip, created to provide trucking service to The Hodge Companies, expanded in the third quarter of 2019 to offer machinery rigging, moving and roustabout services to customers.

Also adding to business was the formation in 2018 of Barcon, a partnership with The Brilex Group. Barcon offers design, fabrication and refurbishment of natural gas production and processing equipment.

“Barcon has provided many opportunities while bringing more work to the area,” Cope says.

The Hodge Companies plans to add a program in 2020 that allows employees to select charitable organizations each month for which the employees and companies will make donations.

Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.