R.P. Lumber Co. has grown from one store to a major regional building materials company by staying focused on hard work, customer service, and strong local relationships.
Headquartered in Edwardsville, Illinois, R.P. Lumber operates 87 full-line stores and two truss facilities across Illinois, Missouri, Wyoming, Iowa, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. The company was founded in 1977 by Robert and Donna Plummer, and it remains family-owned today.
Vice President Jason Plummer said the company’s growth has come from a simple but powerful approach: work hard, serve customers well, and surround the business with good people.
Plummer said R.P. Lumber’s customer base is diverse, which has helped the company stay steady through changes in the market. The company serves both pros and DIY customers, with a customer mix of 75% pro and 25% DIY.
“It’s really a people-driven business,” Plummer said.
That people-first approach shows up inside the company, too. R.P. Lumber works to attract and keep employees who care about serving customers. Plummer pointed to the number of people who have worked for 20, 30, or even 40 years at R.P. Lumber as a sign of the company’s culture.
The company also reinvests in its stores and communities. Plummer said R.P. Lumber often buys property, improves parking lots, adds fencing, paints buildings, installs new roofs, and invests in store upgrades that may not look flashy from the outside but make the business stronger long term.
That same commitment extends beyond the LBM industry.
R.P. Lumber is active in the communities it serves and supports local causes, churches, hospitals, sports teams, and youth leagues. The company has also made major investments in community facilities, including the Plummer Family Sports Park and the R.P. Lumber Center.
The Plummer Family Sports Park is an 83-acre sports park built on land donated by Robert Plummer. The R.P. Lumber Center is a regulation-size arena used by local high schools and colleges, with an ice hockey complex, running track, community rooms, and other facilities.
Plummer said the company gives back because community matters. The goal is not just to write checks. It is to support the places where R.P. Lumber employees, customers, and families live and work.
That mindset has shaped the company’s growth for decades. R.P. Lumber has continued to expand while staying rooted in the values that built it: hard work, customer service, strong people, and community support.
For R.P. Lumber, growth has never been about getting bigger just to get bigger. It has been about serving well, investing wisely, and building something that lasts.
Source: Adapted from LBM Journal’s July 2024 profile, “Hard Work Spurs Growth for R.P. Lumber Co.”
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