Joe Hardy is a true American success story, rising from a college student selling home-grown vegetables door-to-door to becoming the Founder & CEO of 84 Lumber, the largest privately owned building materials supplier to professional contractors and Hardy World, a premier real estate development firm.
After graduating from the University of Pittsburgh with an Engineering degree, Joe quickly became the top-producing salesman for the family's Hardy & Hayes jewelry company. In 1956, he left Hardy & Hayes to open a 'cash and carry' lumber yard focused on professional home builders in Western Pennsylvania.
Today, the company maintains its corporate headquarters in Eighty Four, Pennsylvania, where the original store continues to operate and grow. The company hit the $1 billion sales mark in 1994, the $2 billion mark in 2002 and the $3 billion mark in 2004. With more than 500 stores and component manufacturing plants and 8,000 associates nationwide, 84 Lumber sets the standard for service to the professional contractor market.
In addition to 84 Lumber Company, Joe founded Nemacolin Woodlands Resort, one of North America's premier resort destinations. Joe also served as Vice Chairman of the Board of Commissioners of Fayette County, Pennsylvania and has overseen countless local redevelopment projects, including a revitalization of downtown Uniontown, the largest city in the county.
