BROOKHAVEN —Mississippi’s only Hydradyne location celebrated the ribbon cutting of its new sales floor named the “Parker Store,” Thursday at 58 US84 in Brookhaven. Hydradyne is a company specializing in fluid power and motion control, in other words hydraulics. 

Hydradyne first came to Brookhaven in 2016 by acquiring Gatlin Corp/Seal Group. Operations Manager Melissa Patt said the ribbon cutting was to celebrate the new sales area which will directly help customers. 

“Customers can walk in and shop for things. Before the Parker Store, we would turn and go back to the warehouse to find parts,” Patt said. “It is now a retail space like going into an auto parts store.” 

Regional Manager Jim Watson said the sales floor turned a simple yes or no question on inventory into a chance to come up with solutions if items were not available in inventory. He said they are able to work with the customer to solve problems. 

Watson explained to the Brookhaven-Lincoln County Chamber of Commerce representatives, MDOT workers and others at the ribbon cutting that Hydradyne was a national business but not too big. Its footprint covers the southeastern US with 36 stores. 

Hydradyne is headquartered in Dallas Fort-Worth. The business owner gives back to the employees by providing college scholarships to their children and invests money back into the company. 

Watson said the company is continuing to establish its footprint and expanding support to customers in different areas. 

“We put in a significant investment in this location and wanted to create a place where people could come in and shop for fluid control needs,” Watson said. “We have an environment of wanting to help people. We have a talented team for service and repair. We have field technicians we can send to help with repairs.”

Brookhaven residents may not realize how important motion control and hydraulic systems are in everyday life. Hydradyne works on systems which help agriculture equipment operate, keep trash trucks operational, construction equipment running smoothly so the roads can be paved, logging equipment to help feed local mills with timber. 

Watson said the company services the moving parts to the Stennis Space Center and helps the United States Army Corps of Engineers keep the Mississippi River open for navigation by working on dredges such as the Jadwin. He explained to some local bankers that they were a part of “the largest industry you have never heard of.” 

Hydradyne’s employees are friendly and have interesting stories to share. One of the employees grew up at Angola Prison and spent time in law enforcement before taking a job with the company. 

“Hydradyne is a great company, they are people oriented, they care about us,” Patt said. “There are so many options we have a lot to offer to people.”

Hydradyne is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday but offers 24/7 emergency service.