84 Lumber
July 9, 2022
84 Lumber was founded in 1956 by Joe Hardy with the funds and determination of Ed Ryan and Jack Kunkle, and Joe Hardy’svtwo brothers, Norman and Bob Hardy. Together, these men collected $84,000 for land and buildings to grow their business.
As the business expanded, Hardy and his brothers became sole owners of the company.
In 1992, Joe Hardy’s daughter, Maggie Hardy Knox, took over as president of the company. In her first year as president, the company reached $1 billion in revenue for the first time in the company’s history.
84 Lumber is named after the village of Eighty-Four, Pennsylvania, a census-designated place 32 km (20 miles) from the village of Eighty Four, Pennsylvania, where its headquarters are located.
As of June 2020, 84 Lumber owns and operates 231 stores throughout the country. The company has approximately 5,600 employees and generates in excess of $3.9 billion in annual revenue.
84 Lumber is the largest privately held supplier of building materials to the construction industry.
The company operates components plants, door shops, installation centers and wood products shops. In 2020, it opened more than 30 kitchen and bath design studios within its existing stores. The company’s stores also carry a variety of materials including siding, decking, windows and trim, roofing and trusses.
84 Lumber established a cash and carry system which meant that customers paid by cash or check, and carried out their merchandise. If they were unable to be carried out, they would have to pay a delivery fee.
In 1992, after 34 years of running the company, Joe Hardy appointed his daughter Maggie Hardy Knox, president and owner of 84 Lumber. Joe Hardy passed 40 percent of the company stock to Maggie that year as well and added another 40 percent the following year.
In 1999, 84 Lumber opened its first “84 Plus” retail store in Graysville, Tennessee. The store, designed by Maggie Hardy Knox, carried about 12,000 products and was meant to increase the company’s profits by selling products at a higher profit margin.
On December 7, 2002, the company exceeded $2 billion in annual sales for the first time in history.
In 2019, the company opened its largest store to date in Chesterfield (Richmond), Virginia.
84 Lumber has been widely recognized by influential trade magazines such ProSales magazine which rated the company as number four in 2019 and 2020; in 2016, it was named as one of Forbes’ Best Midsize Employers in America and Forbes’ Largest Private Companies in America.
In 2018, it was recognized as one of America’s Largest Private Companies by Forbes and was named a Top Workplace in the Greater Pittsburgh region by Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. In 2019, it was named one of Forbes Magazine’s “Best Larger Employers” and was named to INC. Magazine’s “INC. 5,000” list in 2019 and 2020.
Over the years 84 Lumber has supported the Boy Scouts, Justin Jennings Foundation, Habitat for Humanity, Musician’s Village, Red Cross and United Way. In 2019, 84 Lumber gave a total of $1.39 million in charitable donations.
The company made a half-million-dollar donation to the Pittsburgh Community Food Bank in 2020 to help its community during the coronavirus pandemic.
Gloria Sauve
Communications and Marketing