Hose Master opens facility in Sparks

An Ohio manufacturer of metal hose used in the steel, oil, chemical and other industries is setting up shop in Sparks.

Hose Master LLC leased a 36,000 square-foot facility on Vista Boulevard to house its first manufacturing and distribution center on the West Coast. Michael Hoeck with NAI Alliance was the broker on the deal.

The Economic Development Authority of Western Nevada announced the company’s move last week.

Hose Master plans to open its doors in April. Eight employees from its Cleveland headquarters are relocating here and the company initially plans to hire an additional 27 employees locally.

The 35 year-old, privately-owned company has annual sales between $50-100 million and employs about 400, including 80 ASME IX-certified welders, says Jeff Tennant, senior vice president.

Hose Master sells exclusively through distributors, but adds value by fabricating each order. The metal hose, which can withstand temperatures ranging from 1,300 degrees Fahrenheit to -365, is finished with expansion joints that are unique to each order, says Tennant.

“We achieve economies of scale and have quicker turn around,” he says.

In order to do that, the company sets up satellite facilities closer to the customer, including one in Houston to serve the oil and chemical industries, its biggest markets, and another in Atlanta, near where much of the steel industry has migrated.

“We decided we needed to be west of the Rockies,” says Tennant.

Hose Master considered opening two West Coast facilities in Portland and Los Angeles to be close to the shipbuilding industry, but determined a single location in the Reno-Sparks area would be a better way to serve its myriad customers throughout the 11 western states.

“We stepped back and said why should we split our resources in two facilities when could go to Reno and ship the next day everywhere,” says Tennant.

EDAWN put the company in touch with Truckee Meadows Community College, which is now developing a program to train welders for the demanding work at Hose Master.

“It’s like welding a sheet of paper to metal,” says Tennant. “It’s a very difficult weld job.”