The Early Years
It was 1976. The Arabs had a chokehold on oil. Energy prices were
rising. And no one knew what the future held.
County agent Jerome Hardy had moved back to his hometown in 1970 to pursue his farming and cattle interests. To cut costs he
decided to put a heater vent in his fireplace; but, wife, Margaret vetoed the idea. She didn't want wood trash, smoke and ashes tracked through the house.
So, Jerome
tried a different approach. He began tinkering with the idea of putting the heating unit outside and moving the heat to where it was needed. After a lot of trial and error,
brainstorming and improvising, his idea began to take shape.
Jerome's initial effort was encouraging and his enthusiasm was shared by neighbor, cousin and fellow cattle farmer Bobby Smith.
They put units in their homes. Both families enjoyed an immediate and dramatic decrease in heating costs and liked the fire outside, making it safer, cleaner, and easier to service.
It wasn't long before neighbors and friends became interested and inquired about having one for their own use.
Jerome and Bobby looked after the farms and tended
their cattle, but continued to tinker and experiment with the heater. By 1978, Jerome had changed the design, taking it in a new direction and raising its productivity potential to
new levels.
Groundwork Laid for the Future
Originally, it was a hot air design. The changeover to a
water based system enabled the unit to provide household hot water and was adaptable to forced air and hydronic systems that could channel the heat to multiple locations. With each
successful step, the pair felt more confident about making a unit for their neighbors.
Knowing they had a good idea, Jerome and Bobby began working on a market plan. They
exhibited The Hardy furnace at fairs and farm shows. They made a good pair. Jerome was overseeing construction and manufacturing. Bobby took charge of the furnace tank welding.
In 1979, Jerome applied for and received a patent on the heater and the company began to take shape. It was the beginning of a multi-million dollar, nationwide business and
another American dream was born.
A Heating Furnace Pioneer
The development of the first Hardy put the company at the
forefront and made them pioneers in an entirely new field of heating.
The Hardy outside wood furnace is designed to save energy and provide comfortable heating.
Like most successful inventions, the basic idea is simple and the design is not complex. The Hardy uses a stainless steel tank filled with water surrounding a fire box.
It is a non-pressurized boiler with an atmospheric vent. Heat is delivered by circulating water through pipes between the furnace and a heat exchanger in the building.
It is equally efficient with a hot air duct system, water baseboard system, radiant floor heat, unit heaters or an existing hydronic system operating at 180 degrees or less. The
Hardy can provide several hundred gallons of hot water for domestic household needs.
Hardy Manufacturing Expansion
As sales increased it became inevitable that Jerome had to
increase his workforce and bring in qualified people to help with the small business that was rapidly turning into a multi-million dollar company.
In 1986 Frank
Moore, Hardy's son-in-law, became president of Hardy Manufacturing Company. Armed with an Engineering Degree, he was a perfect match for a company which was continually testing
new materials, exploring new concepts and monitoring the latest technical advances.
The facilities were expanded to 35,000 square feet with a workforce of 50 people. These
changes, along with hard work, quickly paid off as sales climbed quickly toward $6 million annually.
Hardy Manufacturing is the largest buyer of 304 stainless steel in the
southeast. With sales exceeding 2,500 furnaces a year and over 55,000 furnaces previously sold, the Hardy claim of being the No. 1 manufacturer of outside wood burning furnaces in the
world has no challengers.
Research and Development Continues
In 1988 Hardy was approached by state officials on
developing a heater to give waste oil generators an alternative for disposal.
The idea of helping the environment by efficient use of a waste product has become a practical
reality in a furnace developed and built by Hardy Manufacturing. This is the first water-based outside waste oil furnace on the market. The Hardy Outside Waste Oil Furnace was
patented on June 22, 1993.
More changes are in the works and new products still to come. We're excited about an outside catalytic wood burning furnace, in development
since 1989. It uses catalytic combusters to improve efficiency and burn much more cleaner. Test models have been up and running since 1991, and was introduced for market in the fall
of 1994.
Sales and Distribution
A critical element in the company's history of growth has
been its highly respected sales and distribution capabilities.
The Hardy furnace is sold in the United States through a network of 5
independent distributors and a nationwide network of 275 independent dealers. Through this same network, sales are made in Canada, Europe, Asia and Mexico.
Looking to the Future
While much has changed at Hardy since Jerome Hardy founded his
business in a backyard shop in 1975, one thing has remained constant. There has always been, and continues to be, an indomitable drive for excellence. This excellence
has been the
company's hallmark throughout its proud history.
Strengthened by this spirit, the people at Hardy believe their best days are still to come as they pursue excellence and
leadership in safe and economical heating appliances.
To Our Customers
With the knowledge and experience we've gained over the years in developing our furnaces,
Hardy stays ahead of the competition by offering the best products on the market.
UL Listed (Underwriters Lab), all stainless steel construction, quality workmanship, a 500
member nationwide dealer network ready to assist customers, a product built to last and manufacturing experience since 1976 are the qualities that make The Hardy the superior
product.
Our pledge to you is to provide the latest technology, quality products and a commitment to customer service for the future. Customer satisfaction remains the name
of the game.
If you can't reach a local dealer or distributor for your State, we will be pleased to help you anytime. You will always be No. 1 to us!
Frank L. Moore
President
Hardy Manufacturing Company, Inc.