MARSHA K HUDGINS, CEO Hudgins Contracting Corp.
MARSHA HUDGINS began her career in the healthcare industry, receiving a degree in Physical Therapy from the University of Connecticut. With a desire to move into healthcare business management, she enrolled in the MBA program at Old Dominion University and was one of only a handful of women in her graduating class. Soon after, Marsha opened the first of two retail establishments specializing in home furnishings. While growing the retail business over the next decade, she developed a new business designed to utilize her unique qualifications at the time: strategic planning for the healthcare industry. Her clients included large corporate health care organizations, small medical offices as well as start-ups in both medicine and retail.
A belief in the universal application of her business strategy allowed Marsha, in 1993, to formally bring to life a childhood dream of creating an equine breeding and training facility for high level sport horses. She currently oversees daily operations at her farm in Virginia.
Upon the death of her husband, Lester Hudgins Jr, in 2011 Marsha became Managing Partner of several commercial real-estate holdings as well as being named CEO of Hudgins Contracting Corp., a commercial site and utility contracting business that was founded in 1971. Since then, she has worked daily to direct the growth and expansion of the company and successfully position it for the future. Excellence and integrity, team building, employee development, and community engagement remain the core guiding principles of the business and have been central to its evolution over the years.
Both Marsha and the company she leads are committed to giving back to the Hampton Roads community through donations of time, talent, and financial support. Some notable organizational positions she has held include Operation Smile Board Member, ODU Educational Foundation Trustee, Sponsor and member of the Langley Civic Leaders Association, Founding Member and President of ODU Women’s Initiative Network, member of Achievable Dream Middle and Upper School Board of Directors, and member of The Mariner’s Museum Board of Directors. In addition, she currently sits on the Executive Advisory Council for Strome College of Business at ODU.
Marsha’s daughter, Jennifer, lives in London with her husband and their two sons. Marsha’s son, Ashton, an MFA sculpture major, lives and works as an artist in Brooklyn. Marsha resides in Suffolk with her two dogs, her cat, and her horses.