84 Lumber

84 Lumber Company
Private
Industry Building materials and retail
Founded November 14, 1956 (1956-11-14)[1]
Headquarters Eighty Four, Pennsylvania
Key people
 Joe Hardy (founder)
Maggie Hardy Magerko (president and owner)
Products Building materials and supplies
Revenue Increase$2.5 billion (2015)
Number of employees
 approx. 5,000
Website www.84lumber.com/ Edit this on Wikidata
Typical 84 Lumber sign

84 Lumber is an American building materials supply company. Founded in 1956[2] by Joseph Hardy, it derives its name from the town of Eighty Four, Pennsylvania, 20 miles (32 km) south of Pittsburgh, where its headquarters are.

84 Lumber owns and operates over 250 stores,[3] and the company operates components plants, door shops, installation centers and wood products shops in 30 states. As of 2012, they reportedly employ 4,900 employees.[4]

History

Located 20 mi (32 km) south of Pittsburgh, 84 Lumber established its roots in Eighty Four, Pennsylvania, a rural community that has endured as a farmland community. 84 Lumber flourished with the funds and determination of Ed Ryan and Jack Kunkle, Joe Hardy and his two brothers Norman and Bob Hardy. Together, these men collected $84,000 for land and buildings to grow their business.[5] As the business expanded, Hardy and his brothers became sole owners of the company.

84 Lumber established a cash and carry system; customers paid by cash or check, if merchandise was unable to be “carried” out, an additional charge was implemented to have the item personally delivered.

Throughout the 1960s, 84 Lumber continued to expand locations. This was accomplished largely by keeping overhead low and adopting a 'no frills' warehouse-style approach to most of its stores (many of which are unheated, even in cold-climate locations), as most of its clients were commercial customers not overly concerned with aesthetics or the like. But during the 1970s, 84 Lumber’s business grew and the company opened 229 stores.

In 1984, the company undertook an expansion plan to open at least 30 new stores. Along with grand openings, stores were remodeled and renovated from no-frills lumber yards to new and improved building materials stores. In 1987, as the improvement plan generated success, the business opened their strict policy of cash-and-carry to options of using credit.[2][5]

In 1991, 84 Lumber topped Pro Sales magazine’s “Dealer 100” list.[5]

After 34 years of running the company, Joe Hardy appointed his daughter Maggie Hardy Magerko president and owner in 1992.[6] Joe Hardy passed 40 percent of the company stock to Maggie that year as well, and added another 40 percent the following year.[5] With a new leader, 84 Lumber continued to expand, opening its 400th store in 1997 in Ephrata, Pennsylvania.[5]

In 1999, 84 Lumber opened its first “84 Plus” retail store in Graysville, Tennessee. The store, designed by Maggie Hardy Magerko, carried about 12,000 products and was meant to increase the company’s profits by selling products at a higher profit margin.[5]

On December 7, 2002, the company exceeded $2 billion in annual sales for the first time in history.[5] In 2004, the company opened another 18 new stores, most of which are located in metropolitan areas that had once been unprofitable.[5]

84 Lumber suffered great losses in sales when the housing market crashed in 2009. Limitless spending on a family-owned resort, poor store site selection, and a massive debt in account receivables also contributed to difficult financial conditions for the company.[7] On the brink of bankruptcy, Hardy Magerko leveraged her own personal finances, closed stores, and laid off thousands to prevent the company from going bankrupt. Magerko’s efforts ultimately proved to be successful.

In 2013, 84 Lumber increased sales 27 percent over the prior year, generating $2.1 billion in revenue. In 2016, the company continues to expand and has recently announced plans to open at least a dozen new stores and manufacturing facilities.[8]

Most recently, 84 Lumber introduced Tiny Living by 84 Lumber, its new line of portable homes.[9]

Advertising

In 2017, 84 Lumber broadcast its first-ever Super Bowl ad, "The Journey", during Super Bowl LI. The advertisement chronicled a mother and daughter migrating from Mexico to the United States, interspersed with scenes of workers building. When they are blocked by a border wall, the daughter presents a handmade U.S. flag she had made using fabric collected throughout their trip. The two then discover a giant door in the wall they use to enter the country; the ad concluded with the message "The will to succeed is always welcome here."[10][11][12]

The ad was controversial even before its premiere; prior to the game, Super Bowl LI's broadcaster Fox rejected a version of the ad that contained the border wall scene, as they felt the imagery was too politically-sensitive (newly instated president Donald Trump promised the construction of a wall along the entire Mexico–United States border). The ad was aired in an edited form during the game's halftime break, which excluded the ending and instructed viewers to watch the full, nearly six-minute film, on 84 Lumber's website (which briefly crashed due to the influx of visitors).[10][13][14][15]

Philanthropy

84 Lumber serves the communities in which they are located by participating in local events and fundraisers. Dedicated to helping those in need, the company has created a campaign, Building Hope, which fulfills this commitment. The Boy Scouts, Justin Jennings Foundation, Habitat for Humanity, Musicians' Village, Red Cross, and United Way are among the organizations and individuals 84 Lumber has supported over the years.[5]

References

  1. ↑
  2. 1 2 Mendelson, Robert. "Building a Business". Pitt Magazine. Retrieved August 16, 2012.
  3. ↑ "84 Lumber". Retrieved 1 September 2014.
  4. ↑ "84 Lumber sales drop by $1 billion". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. March 15, 2012. Retrieved August 16, 2012.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Rodengen, J.L. (2005). Nothing is impossible. Write Stuff Enterprises Inc.
  6. ↑ "Recovering From the Housing Slump". Leaders Magazine. Retrieved August 16, 2012.
  7. ↑ "Daughter Knows Best: Inside The 84 Lumber Saga". Forbes. Retrieved January 21, 2015.
  8. ↑ "84 Lumber Expanding in Western States". Lumber Building Material Distribution Pros. Retrieved April 1, 2016.
  9. ↑ "84 Lumber Begins Offering Custom Tiny Homes". PR Newswire. Retrieved March 1, 2016.
  10. 1 2 "Watch the 84 Lumber Super Bowl Ad Everyone Is Talking About". Time. Retrieved 6 February 2017.
  11. ↑ "Watch the End of the Super Bowl Lumber Commercial too Controversial to Air". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 6 February 2017.
  12. ↑ "84 Lumber Super Bowl Campaign Shows Border Wall With a Big Door". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 6 February 2017.
  13. ↑ "Fox Rejects Super Bowl Ad That Depicts a Giant Border Wall". Advertising Age. Retrieved 31 January 2017.
  14. ↑ "84 Lumber goes back to drawing board to redo Super Bowl ad after Fox Sports rejection". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 31 January 2017.
  15. ↑ "84 Lumber Explores Other Options After Fox Rejects Its 'Political' Super Bowl Ad". Adweek. Retrieved 31 January 2017.
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