Zach Hodge, executive vice president of operations at Hodge

Zach Hodge is no stranger to the Rising Star award. As the latest Hodge — following sister Jordan Fullan and her husband Michael — to receive the honor, he said he’s more proud of continuing to represent the family than the accolade itself.

And representing the family bleeds into his community involvement with Run4Troops, which his uncle — Mike Hodge — started about a decade ago.

“It’s been a family affair, just like at work,” Hodge said. “That event has grown over the years from a few participants in year one to into the thousands last time we had it … that’s a tremendous event from a community standpoint.”

Businesses use the run as a team-building event, while separately it raises money and awareness for military causes.

Jordan Fullan, Zach’s sister and vice president of human resources at Hodge, said Hodge “empowers” staff and works alongside them as challenges arise.

“When I observe staff interact with Zach, I can tell they want to bring their best and they come prepared,” Fullan said. “Zach has a creative mind and this characteristic rubs off on those who work with him. We have been encouraging staff to be innovative and present ideas and solutions to daily challenges, and Zach has been instrumental in this process simply by the way he leads, organizes meetings, and interacts with staff.”

An outdoor enthusiast, Hodge also is heavily involved in the TMBR mountain biking group, which was founded in 2015 and has established youth engagement programs and promotes tourism in Dubuque.

“I believe Dubuque is really primed for becoming a mountain biking mecca,” he said.

In 2017, he began serving as race director for the Triple D Winner Race, from which all proceeds go toward trail systems in the city.

“Since 2015, we’ve put in over 17 miles of professionally built mountain biking trails in several areas of the community,’ Hodge said. “It’s been wildly popular.”

Hodge also serves as board president for the Foundation for Dubuque Public Schools, which has “supported countless projects that otherwise would be wildly underfunded.”