84 Lumber Company
Lumber & Building Materials
Story by Judy Goppert | Sponsored Content
84 Lumber Company, founded in 1956 by Joe Hardy and headquartered in Eighty Four, Pennsylvania, takes its name from the town where it was founded. As the largest privately held supplier of building materials in the United States with more than 320 locations in 33 states, the company provides an extensive range of manufactured components and industry-leading services for single and multifamily residences, and commercial buildings. The company also offers turnkey installation services for a variety of products, including framing, insulation, siding, windows, roofing, and decking. In 1992, Joe Hardy appointed his daughter, Maggie, as president of 84 Lumber. Today, she’s the owner and CEO of the company. As a certified women’s business enterprise, 84 Lumber was named one of America’s Top Retailers by USA Today. The company was also recognized as one of America’s Fastest-Growing Companies in 2023. They have also held a spot on Inc. 5000’s list of America’s Fastest Growing Companies for several years. The company hit $7.9 billion in sales in 2021 and made $8.78 billion in sales in 2022.
The company has had a presence in the Kansas City market since 2002 and is known for their availability to service the public – not just professional builders and construction companies. The company – rated a Most Trustworthy Company by Newsweek – is also known as a family-focused and proud military-friendly employer.
Tyler Golub is the General Manager of the KC operation, and everything that happens is overseen by his expertise. Golub began his career with 84 Lumber near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Beginning as a Manager Trainee in the summer of 2015, he was promoted to co-manager in the fall of 2016, where he spent more than two years in that position. In 2018, he was promoted to store manager, and soon had an opportunity to become Area Manager of Western New York in January 2020. Golub was an Area Manager for almost four years before he accepted the general manager position in Kansas City. Golub and his family relocated from Western New York and have been living in the Kansas City market since, enjoying life in the Midwest.
“I have two yards. The main retail and production establishment is off Marshall Drive in Lenexa, and our other location – off 12th Street in Kansas City, Missouri – serves as our own rail reload, as well as a storage facility for large projects and buyouts,” explained Golub. “The Lenexa location was a Payless Cashways that we acquired and transformed into a store. Our yard in KCMO was acquired more recently. Our main drive every day is supplying primary building materials for residential and light commercial construction. A large portion of our customer base are builders and general contracting partners that see the value in our service and expertise to help them get their jobs done.”
He noted that while the core of their business is lumber and sheet goods, they also stock a large selection of cedar boards and posts, as well as a large selection of James Hardie products. These selections cater to the remodeler business. 84 Lumber also offers turnkey products to their customer base.
“We bring everything under one hood!” Golub continued. “We have a professional sales staff that is highly experienced in building knowledge and troubleshooting. Our associates focus on builder businesses and act as a liaison between the builder, the general contractor, the project managers or site superintendents in the field, as well as the framers in the field and then of course our store location.”
84 Lumber associates also do blueprint takeoffs, which involves taking a set of plans and making a list of materials needed to build the project. Their dedicated fleet of delivery trucks not only supply the materials but are also available for any needs that pop up on site. Material swaps, returns, add-ons, and emergency loads are always reliable and easy to schedule. 84 Lumber associates drive directly to the site with the right equipment to help cut down on hands-on labor.
Golub shared that there is currently a large trend toward multifamily homes and communities – such as apartments, condos, and townhomes – or a mixture of single-family houses, townhomes, and apartment buildings.
“Especially in Kansas City which is a huge renters’ market,” he continued. “Some builders are committed to affordable living, and some are building luxury buildings. We supply the materials for those projects.”
84 Lumber actively supports local, regional, and national charitable organizations, including volunteer fire departments, Fisher House Foundation, Habitat for Humanity, the Boy Scouts, St. Jude Dream Homes, and our nation’s veterans. Each year, the company has donated more than a million dollars to a variety of charitable causes.
