Harden Furniture Inc.

It has been said that our society has consumed more natural resources in the past 100 years than in all of man's previous existence combined. However, for 167 years and through five generations of family ownership, Harden Furniture has upheld a tradition of environmental stewardship. From harvesting trees on its company owned and managed 10,000 acre woodland in Upstate New York, to the maintenance of an on-site Forestry Division and adherence to environmentally sound principles and practices such as use of proven silviculture methods, Harden has been practicing a responsible environmental policy since before the Industrial Revolution and all of its impact on the environment. Not only is the Harden family five generations old, but many Harden employees have five generations of historical roots in the company. Why such loyalty? From the very beginning, founder Charles S. Harden Sr.'s concern for his employees and the village in which they lived was reflected in the construction of churches, a community house, and several homes for the employees â€" in a very distinct way, a sustainable community before it's time. That groundbreaking pioneer spirit was evident in the Harden family long before a single piece of furniture was ever produced. The company's originator, Charles S. Harden, Sr., was born to a family who moved into the unbroken wilderness of Verona, N.Y. in the 1800s. Charles eventually headed west in search of adventure and gold. Finding none, Harden decided to move his family back to New York, settling in McConnellsville and purchasing a sawmill on Fish Creek. His life experience to that point was one of living off the land exclusively. As a result, Charles Harden had a strong sense of respect for the land, which became part of the Harden family "DNA."