Hardware and building materials retailer R.P. Lumber announced the acquisition of long-time competitor Alexander Lumber. Aurora, Ill.-based Alexander Lumber is a family-owned company with locations in Illinois, Wisconsin, and Iowa. The transaction is expected to close on December 3 and terms were not publicly disclosed.
“Alexander Lumber has always led by example,” Robert Plummer, president and CEO of R.P. Lumber, said in a news release. “They are an industry giant with deep roots and a sterling reputation that has remained intact for decades. We are in a tough business and they are a company that I have always admired. Alexander Lumber leadership cares deeply about their staff and customers, and we intend to preserve that commitment.”
Edwardsville, Ill.-based R.P. Lumber opened its first location in Staunton, Ill., in 1977 and has grown in Illinois, Missouri, and Wyoming. In 2021, the company entered the Iowa market for the first time by acquiring three locations in two separate transactions. The company said it is also planning to expand in Missouri with the development of three new locations in the southwestern portion of the state. The acquisition of Alexander Lumber will expand R.P. Lumber’s existing footprint in Illinois and Iowa and mark the company’s entrance into Wisconsin. Alexander Lumber operates two stores and one sales office in Wisconsin.
“For five generations, Alexander Lumber has been our family’s identity,” Watt Alexander, board chair of Alexander Lumber, said. “It has shaped our lives and our relationships to one another, but time has caught up with us. 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. 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.”
The Alexander Lumber acquisition also expanded R.P. Lumber’s truss manufacturing capabilities and geographic reach with the addition of a production facility in northern Illinois.
“At the end of the day, our industry is not a big industry. It’s a pretty small world full of salt-of-the-earth people. We are honored and humbled that the Alexander family has entrusted to us this great business their family built over 130 years,” Plummer said. “We do not take that responsibility lightly. As we welcome new team members to the R.P. Lumber family, we are excited to deliver our ‘Best Service. Best Value.’ promise to many new customers. We look forward to building relationships in new communities, and we will strive to be good stewards of the Alexander Lumber legacy.”
