Wood-burning heat is not something we often think about in Mississippi, making it unusual that the nation’s first and largest manufacturer of outside wood-burning furnaces can be found in our back yard.

The idea for the heater grew from a rejection. During the oil-shortage crisis in the 1970s, Jerome Hardy wanted to use wood to cut oil costs but his wife did not want wood trash, smoke and ashes in her house. With that rejection, a deep well of determination and the help of neighbor and cousin Bobby Smith, a multi-million dollar, nationwide business was born – Hardy Manufacturing of Philadelphia, Miss.

The two entrepreneurs began their journey in 1976 and soon began fine tuning their new heater. They began to exhibit their furnace at fairs and farm shows and in 1979 Hardy applied for and received a patent on the heater and the company.

The furnace was designed to keep the wood outside of the home and save energy as it provided comfortable heating. Hardy and Smith became the first to market the idea.

Utilizing a non-pressurized boiler with an atmospheric vent, the heat is delivered by circulating water through pipes between the furnace and a heat exchanger in the building. This furnace can also provide several hundred gallons of hot water for household needs.

At the Philadelphia location, several of the units heat the 65,000 square feet facility and they need to be filled with wood only once in the morning and once at night. Hardy Manufacturing also produces units that burn coal.

Hardy Manufacturing has its own supply company and the equipment to manufacture most of the parts needed to build the heaters on site. They have a fabrication shop with CNC equipment, plasma cutting machines and other equipment, as well as a repair center on the grounds.

Customer service has been a major focus of the company and Tammara Kennedy, chief financial officer, attributed that focus to the company’s longevity.

Kennedy said Hardy Manufacturing has customers that have units that are 30 years old and they are working as well as they did when they were new.

Kennedy also said the family business believes in giving back.

The owners feel like they were blessed with this business so they want to bless the Newton County, Neshoba County and Beatline communities,  Kennedy said.

Hardy Manufacturing has made the company walking track, ball field and tennis courts that are on the grounds available to anyone in the community. Kennedy attributes this attitude to the high degree of employee loyalty. 

At the Philadelphia location, there are 25 full-time employees, however, there are also six distributors and a nationwide network of 400 independent dealers. That number is growing as Hardy Manufacturing moves into the future of safe and economical heating appliances, Kennedy said.

This is part of a series that features unique artisans and businesses that call the East Mississippi/West Alabama region home. To recommend an individual or business for the feature, email editor@themeridianstar.com.

About Hardy Manufacturing

The Hardy Manufacturing Company is located at 12345 Road 505 in Philadelphia. It can can be reached at 601-656-5866, at www.hardyheater.com or on Facebook at Hardy Mfg Co., Inc.