Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
84 Lumber history
84 Lumber company history timeline
84 Lumber established its roots in Eighty Four, Pennsylvania, in 1956 when founder Joe Hardy — in conjunction with his two brothers, Norman and Bob Hardy, and family friends Ed Ryan and Jack Kunkle — together purchased land and buildings for a new “cash and carry” lumberyard.
He had been a masterful entrepreneur who sold vegetables in college at the University of Pittsburgh and opened his first lumberyard in 1956, but he'd gotten sloppy in the twilight of his career.
By 1981, 84 Lumber had expanded to 339 stores, 283 of which had opened within the previous 10 years, generating revenues of $478 million.
In 1983, Hardy spent $170,000 to purchase an English lord’s title and an additional $58.1 million to acquire and renovate Nemacolin, a 550-acre retreat in southeastern Pennsylvania.
In 1984, the company began remodeling and renovating stores, evolving from “no frills” lumberyards to new and improved building material stores.
In 1984, the company undertook an expansion plan to open at least 30 new stores.
As the improvement plan generated success, the company relaxed its strict “cash and carry” policy and introduced credit options in 1987.
Rapid expansion and diversification of products, however, resulted in a drop in earnings from $52 million in 1987 to less than half of that two years later.
In 1987, as the improvement plan generated success, the business opened its strict policy of cash-and-carry to options of using credit.
In 1990, chief operating officer Jerry Smith joined 84 Lumber.
In 1990 Hardy wasn't on speaking terms with either son.
In 1991, 84 Lumber was named at the top of ProSales’ “Dealer 100” list, an annual ranking of the country’s building material suppliers by revenue.
In 1991, 84 Lumber opened 24 new kitchen design centers, which featured state-of-the-art computer technology for designing kitchens and baths.
In 1991, Hardy turned over 40 percent of the 84 Lumber stock to Maggie.
In 1992, Joe Hardy appointed his daughter Maggie Hardy Knox president and owner of 84 Lumber.
In 1992, 84 Lumber opened a new management training center and dormitory in Eighty Four, Pennsylvania, and throughout the year store managers and other employees from all over the country attended three-day training sessions.
In 1992, 84 Lumber launched a new concept entitled 84 Affordable Homes Across America, a line of do-it-yourself home-building kits.
By 1992, when she was 26, Magerko became the company president, set to receive more than 90% of the shares in installments over the next six years.
On a trip to Europe Hardy fell in love with the Ritz in Paris, so he opened a replica at Nemacolin in 1997 that cost $65 million.
In 1998, 84 Lumber established an International Sales Division to export building materials, including complete home packages.
Building on this success, Maggie would lead 84 Lumber to record-breaking sales for the next six years, topping $1.8 billion in 1999.
In 1999, 84 Lumber opened its first “84 Plus” retail store in Graysville, Tennessee.
At her father's behest Magerko abandoned the company's early no-debt policy to buy 22 stores of bankrupt competitor Payless Cashways in 2001, even though her gut told her it was risky.
On December 7, 2002, the company exceeded $2 billion in annual sales for the first time in history.
On a single day in 2002 she opened 22 stores.
In 2004, the company opened another 18 new stores, most of which are located in metropolitan areas that had once been unprofitable.
In April 2006 new-home construction fell 11% from the previous year, a startling drop in an industry that had been on a 14-year growth binge.
IN MARCH 2009 Maggie Magerko sat in her office, ignoring her dad's phone calls.
In 2009 she launched a business to do all of the little jobs independent contractors usually do.
84 Lumber suffered great losses in sales when the housing market crashed in 2009.
Operating profits were up 48% in 2013.
In 2013, 84 Lumber increased sales 27 percent over the prior year, generating $2.1 billion in revenue.
In 2016, 84 Lumber announced a major expansion plan on the west coast.
In 2017, the company opened several new locations across the country, including in Ruskin, Florida; Holbrook, Massachusetts; and Riverhead, New York.
In 2017, 84 Lumber broadcast its first-ever Super Bowl ad, "The Journey", during Super Bowl LI. The advertisement chronicled the visibly arduous journey of a mother and daughter migrating from Mexico to the United States, to be then blocked by a border wall.
In 2018, the company reached $3.86 billion in sales, its second-highest annual revenue ever.
In 2019, the company opened its largest store to-date in Chesterfield (Richmond), Virginia.
"84 Lumber Company ." International Directory of Company Histories. . Encyclopedia.com. (June 21, 2022). https://www.encyclopedia.com/books/politics-and-business-magazines/84-lumber-company-0
Rate how well 84 Lumber lives up to its initial vision.
84 Lumber jobs
Do you work at 84 Lumber?
Does 84 Lumber communicate its history to new hires?
84 Lumber competitors
| Company name | Founded date | Revenue | Employee size | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Floor & Decor | 2000 | $4.5B | 3,680 | 2,121 |
| Haggar Clothing Co. | 1926 | $580.0M | 2,200 | 40 |
| Bass Pro Shops | 1971 | $6.5B | 40,000 | 1,203 |
| Eastern Mountain Sports | 1967 | $1.3B | 1,000 | - |
| Big Lots | 1967 | $4.7B | 22,900 | - |
| VF | 1899 | $10.5B | 50,000 | 1,367 |
| Nucor | 1940 | $30.7B | 26,001 | 469 |
| The Coleman Company | 1900 | $900.0M | 3,500 | 2 |
| Leggett & Platt | 1883 | $4.4B | 20,000 | 111 |
| Olympia Sports | 1975 | $320.0M | 2,000 | - |
84 Lumber history FAQs
Zippia gives an in-depth look into the details of 84 Lumber, including salaries, political affiliations, employee data, and more, in order to inform job seekers about 84 Lumber. The employee data is based on information from people who have self-reported their past or current employments at 84 Lumber. The data on this page is also based on data sources collected from public and open data sources on the Internet and other locations, as well as proprietary data we licensed from other companies. Sources of data may include, but are not limited to, the BLS, company filings, estimates based on those filings, H1B filings, and other public and private datasets. While we have made attempts to ensure that the information displayed are correct, Zippia is not responsible for any errors or omissions or for the results obtained from the use of this information. None of the information on this page has been provided or approved by 84 Lumber. The data presented on this page does not represent the view of 84 Lumber and its employees or that of Zippia.
84 Lumber may also be known as or be related to 84 Lumber and 84 Lumber Company.