TribLIVE Multi-Property Auction!
7 Uniontown properties owned by 84 Lumber founder sold for $410,500
Auctioneer Martin Higgenbotham, with Higgenbotham Auctioneers International, LTD, INC., goes through a listing and asks for bids while auctioning off numerous properties during a public auction held at Hilton Garden Inn, located in Uniontown on Thursday, May 19, 2016. The properties were purchased over a a decade ago, after businessman Joe Hardy was elected a Fayette County commissioner, he bought numerous properties in Uniontown as part of the “George C. Marshall Plan II,” his multimillion-dollar downtown revitalization initiative.
Bidders on Thursday plunked down nearly a half-million dollars to lay claim to seven commercial buildings in downtown Uniontown, most of which were once part of a self made multi-millionaire’s plan to revitalize the city. Commercial Center Associates, a real estate development company owned by 84 Lumber founder Joe Hardy, had Higgenbotham Auctioneers International of Florida sell the properties. Bethany Cypher, chief operating officer for Commercial Center Associates, on Wednesday said Hardy wanted to unload the parcels so others can make a run at filling them with retail outlets and offices.
“He’s 93,” Cypher said. “He’s trying to pass on the torch of Uniontown, to see if other young entrepreneurs can give a go at the same type of thing he did…
