The Pennsylvania builders supply company opens its 18th Florida site today in the Airport RailPark on U.S. 41.
By BETH N. GRAY
Published May 10, 2004
BROOKSVILLE - Professional builders and dedicated do-it-yourselfers will have a new source of materials and supplies when 84 Lumber opens at 7 a.m. today in the Airport RailPark, south of Brooksville.
The 24,000-square-foot main building and showroom, plus 17,000-square-foot lumber storage area, on U.S. 41 is the 18th Florida site for the Pennsylvania company, which claims to be "the largest privately held supplier of building materials in the United States."
The new location was selected primarily because of the growth potential of the target area, which company officials say includes Hernando, Pasco and Citrus counties. The location's access to truck routes and rail lines was also a major consideration.
84 Lumber was founded in 1956 by Joe Hardy in the town of Eighty-Four, some 20 miles south of Pittsburgh. According to company folklore, the town took its name from a railroad mail stop number, and the company adopted its name from the town, vice president of marketing Jeff Kmiec said.
In nearly five decades, 84 Lumber has grown to 450 stores and 6,500 employees nationwide. Last year, the company reported sales of $2.5-billion, Kmiec said.
The local outlet will feature frame packs, steel packs with rebar for foundations, fencing, railroad ties, minibarns and pole barns, insulation, drywall and vinyl siding - "anything you can think of that goes into building a home," manager Wes Hill said.
Doors will be manufactured on-site, the only production operation currently planned.
"We don't even compete with Home Depot or Lowe's," Hill said. "Pro builders are our primary focus."
The showroom includes tools for carpenters, painters and gardeners, hardware, power and pneumatic tools. A sign advertises kitchen design services. Although the 84 Lumber Web site notes that 75 percent of the company's total sales are to professional builders, a pedestal rack is full of "how to" brochures for amateurs who want to tackle their own projects.
"We're targeting the professional builders, but if Ms. Build-It comes in, we won't turn her away," said Hill, who has 17 years' experience in building sales throughout Central Florida. He will supervise 25 employees, including six sales people. As business dictates, more employees will be added, he said.
As part of the company's sales approach, an associate greets the customer at the door, identifies the customer's needs, then selects the materials for the project and loads the purchase. The store has a fleet of six delivery vehicles, from a semitrailer with a forklift to a pickup truck.
84 Lumber opens as a number of large residential subdivisions are being proposed for the area south of Brooksville and east of the Suncoast Parkway. The new business is also a highly visible addition to the 56-acre Hernando County Airport RailPark.
"They set a nice tone for the kinds of building and development that is going to go in there," said Mike McHugh, who heads the county's Office of Business Development.
Two other companies, Duratek Precast Technologies Inc. and Topline Automotive Engineering Inc. of Chicago, are constructing facilities in the RailPark. But 84 Lumber was first to move in.
"It had all the amenities they were looking for," McHugh said. "They broke the ice."
The store's hours are 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays.
