R.P. Lumber acquired family-owned Mount Carmel, Ill.-based hardware and building materials retailer Kieffer Lumber. The acquisition represents R.P. Lumber’s 59th Illinois location and its 85th location overall.
“For 50 years, Kieffer Lumber has served the citizens of Wabash County and the greater Illinois/Indiana bi-state area, and we are thrilled to have their team join the R.P. Lumber family,” Robert Plummer, president and CEO of R.P. Lumber, said in a prepared statement. “Recently, we have added locations in other states, but our roots are in Illinois, and we are excited to grow our footprint in the Land of Lincoln.”
Kieffer Lumber was opened by Marge and Al Kieffer in 1972. Kieffer Lumber began operating as R.P. Lumber September 24. Duane Kieffer, the current manager of the company, said the Kieffer family will continue with the business post-acquisition and the merger with R.P. Lumber is “a true win-win.”
“As we explored this process with professional advisors it was very important to me that we selected a buyer my parents and I would be comfortable with, and the team at R.P. Lumber checked the boxes that were important to us,” Kieffer said. “Our community is important to us; our customers are important to us; our vendors are important to us; and our family is, of course, important to us. We’ve worked adjacent to R.P. Lumber in this area for many years. We know them, and we could not be more excited about this transition.”
R.P. Lumber offers lumber, shingles, siding, drywall, and other building materials as well as a selection of hardware merchandise ranging from power tools and paint to plumbing and electrical supplies.
“This new location not only allows us to bridge the gap between several of our existing locations, but it helps us better serve some of our great southwestern Illinois and western Indiana customers. Mt. Carmel is a community that we have admired for a long time, and Kieffer Lumber is an anchor in the community,” Plummer said. “The Kieffer family has built a wonderful business. We were honored to work with them on this transaction, and we are excited to begin serving the market.”
Edwardsville, Ill.-based R.P. Lumber operates locations throughout Illinois, Missouri, Wyoming, Iowa, and Wisconsin. Earlier in September, the company acquired Iowa-based Southwest Builder Supply.
