Hydra Engineering & Construction, LLC

Awards

U.S. Senate Small Business of the Week July 29th

Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, named Hydra Engineering and Construction of Crawfordville, FL as the U.S. Senate Small Business of the Week July 29th.

“Hello, I’m Senator Marco Rubio, the Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship.

And today we’re honoring Hydra Engineering and Construction of Crawfordville, Florida as the Senate Small Business of the Week.

In 2008, Hydra Engineering was founded by Leslie Hope after leaving her position at an engineering firm to pursue her goal of starting her own company.

She participated in the US Small Business Administration’s 8(a) Business Development Program which helped her small business specialize in government contracting.

Today, Hydra Engineering is a thriving woman and minority owned civil and environmental engineering and construction firm.

They have worked with agencies including the National Park Service, the United States Army Corps of Engineers, the USDA, and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Like many Florida small businesses, Hydra Engineering and Construction experienced a drop in revenue due to the coronavirus pandemic.

But thanks to a Paycheck Protection Program loan, they were able to continue paying their employees and adapt their business to follow all necessary public health procedures.

So congratulations to the entire team at Hydra Engineering and Construction on being named the Senate Small Business of the Week!

We look forward to seeing your continued success and ingenuity.”

As Chairman of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, Senator Rubio continues the tradition of honoring America’s small businesses and entrepreneurs. The Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship oversees proposed legislation on matters relating to the Small Business Administration and investigates all problems relating to America’s small businesses.

Awards and nominations received

  • 2011 – Leslie Hope was nominated in 2011 for U.S. Small Business Administration’s “Small Business Person of the Year” for the North Florida Region
  • 2012 – Business of the Year
  • 2012 – Environmental Stewardship Awards and 2013
  • 2016 – USF Fast 56 Award
  • 2016 – Wakulla County Business Excellence – Professional Service Category
  • 2016 – Department of Homeland Security Small Business of the year
  • 2016 – Project of the year “Best Performance Category; American Public Works Association”
  • 2017 – USF Fast 56 Award
  • 2017 – Florida Companies to Watch Nominee
  • 2018 – USF Fast 56 Award
  • 2018 – Wakulla County Business Excellence – Professional Service Category
  • 2018 – GrowFL Nominee – Florida Companies to Watch
  • 2019 – Nominated from Mid-Career Women in Businesswoman of the Year
  • 2020 – Nominated from Mid-Career Women in Businesswoman of the Year