Town Of Chelmsford Holds Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony For FDE Hydro

CHELMSFORD — FDE Hydro, which creates products used to refurbish hydroelectric dams, has moved to Chelmsford.

On Oct. 11 Chris Bencal, president of FDE Hydro, was joined by several company employees and members of the Chelmsford Town government for a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the company's new headquarters at 285 Billerica Rd. Suite 205. FDE Hydro relocated from Billerica.

"We're very proud to be part of the Chelmsford community," Bencal said at the ceremony. "On behalf of (Founder and President) Bill French Sr., who has a long track record of the companies he created in Billerica, we now feel part of the team in Chelmsford. So thank you Chelmsford."

According to its website, FDE Hydro has patented its "French Dam" modular precast scalable technology that can be used in the construction or retrofitting of dams.

The company estimates this technology can reduce civil construction and maintenance costs by up to 60 percent, shorten the duration of construction by 50 percent and mitigate most risks associated with traditional construction methods.

The company is global, holding patents for the technology in Canada and parts of Europe. However, Bencal said there is plenty of work to be done in the area relating to the retrofitting of dams.

"In the Northeast, we had the textile industry, and a lot of hydropower was generated for those facilities," Bencal said. "But that is aged now and in poor condition and will need to be revitalized or torn out."

Bencal continued: "We are a global operator, but we know where our roots are, and we know there are a lot of opportunities ... and a lot of our current projects are in the New England region because we had the textile industry. We have to go fix those. But also, the Northeast encompasses New York, Pennsylvania, we have some projects in Ohio, we have projects now out west that we're doing too."

Prior to launching FDE Hydro in 2015, French spent the previous five decades as the CEO of W.L. French Excavating Corporation, a leading site contractor in the New England region that he founded.

Bencal said FDE's founder clearly knows how to build and run a successful company.

"Bill French created his company, W.L. French, 50 years ago," Bencal said. "We are not affiliated, but it's a model that we are going to use to grow into a productive, successful and job-offering company in the town of Chelmsford."