84 Lumber awarded Tabitha Foster, a retired Army National Guard, with a tiny house in Sparta, Mich., after she was selected as the winner of the company’s annual Operation Appreciation campaign. A panel of 84 Lumber associates selected Foster based on her compelling story and her plans for using the tiny house.
According to 84 Lumber, when Foster retired from the U.S. Army, she suffered from extreme PTSD and a mild traumatic brain injury. While working to find her next career, Foster discovered a passion for animals and earned her Masters in Biology. Prior to her selection as the Operation Appreciation winner and receiving the tiny house, Foster dreamed of moving from Kentucky to Michigan to work at Soulshine Wildlife Center, an animal reservation owned by her friend.
“We are always looking for ways to give back, especially to those who have given so much to our country,” Amy Smiley, vice president of market for 84 Lumber, said in a news release. “Our company president, Maggie Hardy Knox, has always exemplified the importance of giving, and we are very proud to have the means to help individuals in such unique ways.”
2020 marks the fifth consecutive year 84 Lumber has put on its Operation Appreciation campaign in coordination with Military Appreciation Month. Throughout the rest of the year, 84 Lumber said it will continue to seek ways to support military members. The dealer recently launched a partnership with Fisher House Foundation and actively hires and recruits military veterans.
Eighty-Four, Pa.-based 84 Lumber was the fourth largest company on the 2020 ProSales 100 list. The dealer operates approximately 250 stores, components manufacturing plants, custom door shops, custom millwork shops, and engineered wood product centers in 33 states.
