EDWARDSVILLE, IL – R.P. Lumber Co., Inc. have announced that they’ve acquired Kieffer Lumber in Mount Carmel, IL, making it the 59th Illinois location for the family-owned hardware and building materials retailer in addition to being their 85th overall location.
“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,” said Robert Plummer, President and CEO of R.P. Lumber, “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.”
“My family has been in the hardware, lumber, and construction businesses for many years,“ says Duane Kieffer, who presently manages Kieffer Lumber, which was opened by his parents, Marge and Al Kieffer, in 1972. “We’ve been blessed with a good business and good customers, and now we’ve decided to hand the reigns to a peer of the highest caliber as our family made decisions regarding the next steps for our business.”
In addition to offering high-quality lumber, shingles, siding, drywall and other building materials at competitive prices, R.P. Lumber will also feature a robust selection of hardware merchandise ranging from power tools and paint to plumbing and electrical supplies. Their experienced design team will specialize in designing everything from decks and patios to cabinets and countertops for kitchens and bathrooms. And from measurement to installation, they can help with doors and windows of every type. DIY homeowners will appreciate the expert advice and friendly service, and professional contractors – large and small – can rely on a full-service experience including online ordering and job site delivery.
“Some of my family will continue on with the business. As we explored this process with professional advisers it was very important 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,” said Kieffer. “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. It’s a true win-win,” he added.
“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 Southeastern 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. 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,” Plummer added.
The transaction will close on Friday, September 23rd, and the store will begin operating as R.P. Lumber on Saturday. The Kieffer Lumber team will remain on board, serving customers as they always have while the company will look to hire additional staff and provide additional products and services to the region.