Joe Hardy, business titan and philanthropist, dies at 100
Courtesy of 84 Lumber
Joe Hardy, businessman and philanthropist who founded 84 Lumber and Nemacolin Woodlands Resort, died Jan. 7, on his 100th birthday.
Courtesy of Hardy World
Pictured are Joe Hardy and his daughter, Taylor.
Joe Hardy III, a business titan and philanthropist who turned a small cash-and-carry lumberyard business in Eighty Four, Washington County, into the nation’s largest privately held building materials supplier, died Saturday, January 7, 2023, his 100th birthday.
Hardy, who founded 84 Lumber and Nemacolin Woodlands Resort in Fayette County, was remembered by his family as a brilliant businessman and entrepreneur who valued his family and people.
A statement released on behalf of the family by the company said, “It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of Joseph A. Hardy, III. The Hardy family lost their patriarch and all-around great man. Many knew Joe as a brilliant businessman and enthusiastic entrepreneur. Even with his vast success, Joe always remembered what matters most: people. He helped make the American dream real for so many, and he will be greatly missed. Joe proved that nothing is impossible by willing himself to his 100th birthday. His family is beyond proud of him for making this final accomplishment.”
Hardy was born in Upper St. Clair in 1923, during the Great Depression.
He served in the Army Air Corps as a radioman during World War II, and later, he sold vegetables and worked at his father’s jewelry store, Hardy & Hayes, while he earned an engineering degree from the University of Pittsburgh.
Hardy opened Green Hills Lumber when he was 31 years old. In 1956, Hardy, his brothers and some partners opened the first 84 Lumber store, selling to home builders in Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia.
Hardy grew the company over the decades, opening new stores across America using a “no-frills” model. Today, there are nearly 250 stores in 31 states.
In 1985, Hardy’s success landed him on the Forbes 400 list of the country’s wealthiest people, and in 1987, he was elected by Venture Magazine as the Entrepreneur of the Year.
That same year, Hardy bought a 2,000-acre resort and hotel complex in the Laurel Highland that he developed into the Nemacolin Woodlands Resort, which features a historic hotel, a spa, the five-star restaurant Lautrec, an extensive art collection, the Mystic Rock golf course, a zoo, and outdoor activities including fly-fishing.
In 1992, Hardy turned over control of the businesses to his daughter, Maggie Hardy Knox. The relentlessly driven businessman remained involved in the company and pursued other ventures, and in 2017, he founded the real estate development firm Hardy World, LLC.
In 2004, Hardy was chosen as Philanthropist of the Year by the Washington County Community Foundation. In an interview with the Observer-Reporter that year, he said, “My philosophy is to die broke.”
He was a champion for the community and region, donating millions to charities, colleges, hospitals, and organizations and pouring millions of dollars into revitalization projects in Uniontown.
Said Betsie Trew, President and CEO of WCCF, “I did have the great fortune of meeting him, and one of the things that stuck out for me is all the money he gave – and it was an extraordinary dollar amount – the things that touched his heart were anything for veterans, people down and out and trying to make their lives better, and community-minded things. Maggie continues that. They invest themselves into this community and the communities where they have stores, and each of those communities is bettered because of their commitment to community. There is a long list of charities that have benefited significantly from Joe’s generosity over the years.”
Hardy was elected to the Fayette County Board of Commissioners – he donated his $46,000 salary to a food bank – and served as vice chairman from 2004 to 2007.
Fayette County Commissioner Dave Lohr acknowledged Hardy’s impact in the region, including providing substantial funding for the Joseph A. Hardy Connellsville Airport, and noted Hardy’s contributions to veterans’ causes.
“He always had a good heart for the community, and it showed in everything he’s provided for it,” said Lohr. “All of the donations he contributed are one thing; on the economic side and tourism side of it, Nemacolin contributes a huge amount of income and the number of employees he’s employed, you could go on forever about what he meant here.”
He’s known for never cutting corners and doing things the right way; he was a sticker for that.
The brash, cigar-chomping billionaire’s philosophy was “Nothing is impossible,” a phrase Jeff Kotula, president of the Washington County Chamber of Commerce, recalls Hardy repeating often.
“There is no question that Mr. Hardy was a big personality. But to achieve the level of success that he did, you have to demonstrate confidence in one’s value, abilities and believe that ‘nothing is impossible’, as I remember him saying on several occasions. Yet, I also found he had a great sense of humanity about him, taking interest in others and sharing his success with our community. His confidence always impressed me, but his concern for others is what I respected about him,” said Kotula.
Laural Ziemba, director of public affairs at Range Resources, worked at Hardy’s King of the Hill Restaurant and his real estate management firm, A&F Real Estate, after graduating from college and said she has used much of what she learned from Hardy in both her personal and professional life.
“His over-the-top way of commanding an audience and unabashed tendency to deliver a blistering review of your performance would intimidate anyone, let alone a kid with little business experience. Despite the knots that would form in my stomach when I’d see his black BMW make the right turn of Bentleyville’s Main Street to approach the office, I relished every moment spent with him as he doled out priceless business and leadership advice,” said Ziemba. “Ultimately, Mr. Hardy was tough on you, not because he thought you couldn’t take it, but because he knew you could, and that grit would help you succeed throughout your career, whether it be on his team or beyond.”
Hardy is survived by his wife, Jodi, eight children, three step-children, and 15 grandchildren.