3000 E. 4th Street
North Platte, NE 69101

​In 1921, Charles E. Carhart & Arthur Benjamin Carhart purchased a lumber yard in Wayne, NE and established the very first Carhart Lumber Co. location. (Which still operates today as the company headquarters)

The 1920’s were a rewarding period for the Lumber Company.  The 1930’s arrived with more trying circumstances.  Charles Carhart looked around the area and began to branch the lumber company by purchasing yards owned by larger multi-yard companies who were operating on leverage and were ready to sell stores to raise cash. Multiple Carhart Lumber locations thrived throughout the state for many years, most of which still operate today.

Carhart lumber purchased Hoppe Lumber Co. at 221 W. Front Street in North Platte, NE in 1987 from Hal Hoppe. At the time, the building was shared with Pabst Blue Ribbon distribution.  Included in the purchase, was the Hoppe Lumber truss shop on the south side of Front Street.

Zane Schweer was Hoppe’s manager and continued with Carhart Lumber until Bill Ryan took over in 1987. Additional employees that stayed as the lumber yard transitioned were; Ralph Cochran- Assistant Manager, Bud Haines & Mitch Reed- Truss Shop, Gary Leaf- Sales, Chuck Goff- Yard Foreman. Mitch Reed is still employed with Carhart Lumber today. Gary Leaf worked for Carhart Lumber up until his passing in 2017.

The building structures on the North side of Front Street are owned by Carhart Lumber, but the property has always been leased from Union Pacific Railroad. Being directly next to the railroad tracks brought years of convenience for railcar delivery and on occasion, surprise guests. Employees had oftentimes found railroad ‘travelers’ using Carhart’s warehouses for shelter. That halted after the loading dock was dismantled and product was no longer delivered by train. It became more cost effective to have building materials delivered by truck.

In 1993 Carhart Lumber added on to the truss shop for additional storage and room to produce larger trusses.

In 1994, Pabst Blue Ribbon distribution moved out of the shared office building and Carhart revamped both the inside and outside to become a complete lumberyard. Updates continued throughout the years to keep up with the ever-changing trends.

The residential homes and land to the east side of Sycamore Street were purchased by Carhart in 1997 & 2013 for additional warehouse buildings. One of the properties purchased was the original stable for the firehouse horses. The station once resided just to the east of the stables on Vine Street.

Mike Lech started with Carhart Lumber as the store manager in 1999 and is still with us today. Other employees who have played a part in the success of Carhart Lumber over the last 30 years are Dave Dickerson, Bev McCartney and Char Alexander.

In 2017, a large remodel took place to make room for the growing Kitchen & Bath division. Carhart added kitchen, laundry, bathroom and shower displays in addition to Marvin Windows, Cambria quartz, decking, hardware and backsplash to the showroom.

In June 2020, Scott & Brenda Carhart and Mike Lech were approached about purchasing the recently closed Bloedorn Lumber yard on the East side of North Platte. “The Carhart Lumber location on Front Street was land-locked, so there was no opportunity to grow or add on. This new property provides a lot more space and accessibility for products and delivery drivers.” Said Mike Lech.

Warehouse materials, contractor and retail sales moved into the new location in August 2021. The Kitchen and Bath design team will be moving over in January 2022 and the Carhart Lumber Paint Division will be fully equipped and operating by February 2022. “This is a big space to fill and we want to get it right the first time. We want this new facility to be a home design destination, where our guests come from near and far to spend the day designing and planning their building projects and or dream home.” Said Mike Lech, Manager.

Customers can expect industry experts when visiting Carhart Lumber Kitchen & Bath. The current staff includes; Mike Lech, (Manager) Kevin Marshall, (drafting) Denny Brown, (Retail Sales) James Aufrecht, (Customer Service) Ryan Urbanovsky, (Warehouse Manager) Bill Cheever Jr., Jacob Sells, Mitch Reed, Benjamin Burkert (Warehouse) Trent Roethemeyer (Paint Sales) Stacey Merz and Ashley Miller (Kitchen and Bath Design and Sales).

Today, Scott & Brenda Carhart are the 4th generation family owners and operate 9 Carhart Lumber locations across the state of Nebraska; Wayne, Norfolk, Hartington, Bloomfield, Tilden, Neligh, O’Neill, Burwell and North Platte along with Carhart Kitchen & Bath and recently added divisions; Carhart Interior Designs and Carhart Installed Insulation.

Carhart Lumber has been giving you the ‘Power to Build’ for the last 100 years and hopes to be North Platte’s destination place for all home improvements for another 100 years. From decking, siding, windows and doors, to cabinetry, countertops, Onyx showers and fire places. Carhart can draft & design your dream home and give you the tools to do so. “The only reason a business is successful for this many years, is because of the support from the community. We are thankful for the do-it-yourself homeowner, the small town handy-man, the big-name contractors, fellow businesses, ag producers and all of the large corporations that have supported us throughout the years. We are proud to be a family-owned business on this side of the state, especially when the rest of our locations are on the eastern side.” Said Brenda Carhart, owner and vice-president. “We hope to continue to be the areas trusted source for quality building and home improvement materials, design services and true expert advice for years to come.”

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Copyright 2021