Family Business Celebrates 50 Years of Service

It’s not often you find a business that has served the community and our state for 50 years, much less a business that is in its third generation of family operation. HPS Company is the exception!

From Charleston to Huntington, Parkersburg to Morgantown, Philippi to Princeton, and all points in between, HPS Company has provided over 50 years of continual, family-owned and operated, service to the businesses and citizens of West Virginia. From what began as a modest hydraulic hose shop that serviced the mining communities of the Kanawha Valley, HPS Company has evolved into a multi-faceted company that still proudly serves the citizens in and around the greater Charleston area.

The story of HPS Company’s origin ultimately begins in a quaint little Italian town called Brienza, Italy. It was there, around 1912, that Giuseppe Lovito – later known as Frank Porta -- decided to leave the Old Country to settle in the United States. In 1925, after settling in West Virginia, landing an American bride and establishing a tailor shop in Charleston, his son Frank L. Porta was born. After a stint in the United States Marine Corps and, upon graduating from Dartmouth College in 1947, the younger Frank began a career at Union Carbide in South Charleston as a senior purchasing agent. It was there that Frank Porta (or “Big Frank” as he was commonly known in the Elk River community) began establishing and cultivating the business relationships that would help him create HPS Company Inc., a staple in the Elk River community since 1971.

Currently in its third generation of family operation by the Porta family, Frank L’s son Frank T. Porta, his brother Karl, and Karl’s son Matthew are all still involved in the day-to-day operations of the company. As was the case in 1971, HPS Company still prides itself on quality, personalized customer service, and affordability. Custom hydraulic hoses (for both commercial and residential applications), decades worth of specialized fittings and adapters, a urethane production facility, and a machine/fabrication shop, are all still part of the catalogue of services offered by HPS Company.

HPS Company, located at 3207 Pennsylvania Avenue, is open Monday through Friday 8:00 AM4:30 PM and welcomes walk-in appointments, advance orders, and general inquiries. You can find them on Facebook/HSP Company or give them a call at 304.343.7515. Be sure to tell them you saw their ad in Elk River Living magazine and get 10% off your next order (expires March 31, 2021).

Thank you to the Porta family for submitting the background for this article.

All Photo Credits: Joe Hoover