Owner: Chris Hudson
Location: Harrison, Ark.
History: Hudson Fencing and Welding owner Chris Hudson moved to his great-grandpa’s house in Harrison, Ark., when he was 5 years old. By the time he was 13, he was a full-fledged farmhand.
‘That began my education in fence building,” he said. “By 14, I was introduced to welding when I was preparing a nearby field to be sprigged with Bermuda and the tongue on my roller broke. My grandpa, Richard Hudson, and our farm hand Ben Nichols met me in the field for repairs. Ben bet me he could weld the tongue back onto the roller without holding his stinger. Unsure of what I was about to witness, I watched Ben lay a weld on the tongue of that roller without ever holding his stinger, and after that I was hooked.’
Chris later learned that his grandfather had asked Ben to teach Chris how to weld.
“My business took off several years later in 2015 when I was voluntarily building an entry way for my father-in-law, Nick Eddings. A passerby saw the work and called him wanting to know who did it. From there I got my first paying job. A year later I decided to go fulltime and the jobs have been rolling in ever since.”
Products and Services: Hudson Fending and Welding provides concept, design and construction of corral systems and custom gates, as well as other services.
“We install pipe fence with pipe railing, sucker rod, cattle panel and any combination. We also provide barbed wire fencing. We provide webbed wire fencing of many kinds, most commonly horse, goat and cattle fence. We provide board fence services and we provide custom welding services as well, including equipment repairs and construction-based services.”
They also do residential fencing.”
Philosophy and Future: “I got into the corral design and construction part because I had called someone to do the work, but was unable to make contact. Running a successful business starts with communicating with clients. A dedication to excellence is essential and something I stress to my employees. From first contact to finished product, clients have to feel respected and heard with their desires carried out. I pay attention to detail make my work as perfect as possible, standing behind every job. As far as the future, I’m looking to expand both my territory and the number of people working for me as my business continues to develop.”
