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R.P. Lumber, a fast growing family-owned Midwest hardware and building materials retailer, continues to grow with the pending acquisition of long time competitor Alexander Lumber. Headquartered in Aurora, Illinois, Alexander Lumber is a 130-year-old family-owned company with locations in Illinois, Wisconsin and Iowa.
“As our family has grown and spread across the country, we’ve lost the cohesiveness and focus that previously enabled us to transition leadership from one generation to the next,” says Watt Alexander, board chair of Alexander Lumber. “Once we decided it was time to make this change, our goal was to find another family-owned company—rather than a private-equity backed competitor—where business decisions affecting our people and our customers would be made for long-term goals, instead of cashing out every few years to redeem investors. We think we’ve found that in R.P. Lumber and the Plummer family.”
Based in Edwardsville, Illinois, R.P. Lumber opened its first location in Staunton, Illinois, in 1977 and has continued to grow throughout the states of Illinois, Missouri and Wyoming. R.P. Lumber is excited that this transaction will open the door to Wisconsin, where Alexander presently operates two stores and one sales office.
“We are in a tough business and they are a company that I have always admired,” says Robert L. Plummer, president and CEO of R.P. Lumber. “Alexander Lumber leadership cares deeply about their staff and customers, and we intend to preserve that commitment. We are honored and humbled that the Alexander family has entrusted to us this great business their family built over 130 years.”
The transaction will close on Friday, Dec. 3. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
R.P. Lumber has a physical presence in 74 locations throughout Illinois, Missouri, Wyoming and Iowa. Learn more here.
