An 80-year-old Memphis engineering firm has planted its flag in East Tennessee. Pickering Firm announced that Hodge Engineering Company, a Knoxville-based multidisciplinary engineering firm, officially joined its ranks on October 16, giving the Memphis company its first foothold in the Knoxville market.
The move adds engineering and design capabilities to Pickering's roster and extends its reach well beyond the Mid-South, according to the Daily Memphian, which reported that the acquisition gives the firm a presence in East Tennessee. In its own announcement, Pickering Firm said that as of October 16, 2026, Hodge Engineering Company, Inc. had officially joined the Pickering family.
Hodge isn't a startup bolted onto a bigger operation — the firm brings nearly 40 years of experience serving clients throughout the southeastern United States, per the same announcement. Its services span mechanical, structural and electrical engineering along with architectural design, capabilities Pickering says will now be folded into its existing operations.
What Each Side Gets Out of the Deal
For Pickering, the appeal is straightforward: the addition of the Knoxville team strengthens its Facilities Design group, expanding the firm's expertise and capacity, the announcement states. For Hodge, the pitch to clients is about scale — the company says that joining Pickering gives its Knoxville team access to additional resources and a broader range of services, according to information posted on Hodge Engineering Company's site.
The leadership structure folds Hodge's former top executive directly into Pickering's regional operations. Mike Treadway, who previously served as Hodge's president, now carries the title of Pickering regional director, the company announcement notes. Pickering itself is led by chief executive Bob Pitts and president Mike Foster.
A Regional Footprint Built Over Eight Decades
Pickering traces its roots back to 1946, when it was founded in Memphis as what it now describes as a multidisciplinary engineering, architecture and surveying firm, according to background information published by Hodge Engineering Company. That history underpins the firm's framing of the Hodge deal as a natural next step in its expansion rather than a sudden pivot.
With the addition of Hodge's Knoxville office, Pickering's footprint now spans Memphis and Knoxville in Tennessee, along with locations in Flowood, Pearl and Hernando, Mississippi, and Little Rock and Jonesboro, Arkansas, per the same source. The East Tennessee addition marks the company's first Knoxville-area office, rounding out a multistate presence that now stretches across three states.
