Joseph A. Hardy is founder and CEO of 84 Lumber. He started the company by opening the Green Hills Lumber Company with a close friend. A few years later – together with his younger brothers – he opened a “cash and carry” lumber yard in Eighty Four, Pennsylvania. Since he liked the name of the little town, he decided to name his store after it. Due to Hardy’s great work with 84 Lumber, the firm is now the third largest home improvement chain in America. A lot of his work has been achieved by keeping a ‘no frills’ warehouse style approach to the stores.