Family-owned business based in southwest Illinois celebrates 45th anniversary
R.P. Lumber celebrates 45 years in business this month.
The lumber company, which was originally established in Staunton by Robert and Donna Plummer, first opened its doors on Jan. 17, 1977, according to a press release.
The Plummers, both school teachers at the time, decided to take a risk and “put everything they had into a rough, vacant property,” stated the release.
“When I was growing up my family did not have much. I always dreamed one day I would be able to build a business that would help provide for others. The number of jobs we provide is a metric that matters to me,” Robert Plummer stated in the release.
“When I was a young kid, I always said I wanted to create 1,000 jobs. The fact that we have met and surpassed that number means so much to me. It’s not always just a business’ top line and bottom line, it’s what I believe our company means to a lot of families and a lot of communities.”
Plummer still serves as R.P. Lumber’s Chairman and President.
“We’re in it for the long haul because we want to have a positive impact on families and communities.”
Now based in Edwardsville, R.P. Lumber has numerous locations throughout Illinois as well as locations in Missouri, Iowa, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
Other components have been added to the business, stated the release, including kitchen design, retail showrooms, manufacturing and e-commerce.
“We have worked hard, of course, but our real focus is on gratitude right now. You can only build a durable business in our industry if you work hard, stay focused, and have good team members, good customers, good vendor relationships, and good bank relationships,” Plummer stated in the release.
“We’ve been tremendously blessed that we have those four things. So, what today is really about is saying ‘thank you’ to them. Donna and I want to thank each and every one of our great team members, customers, vendors, bankers, and other partners that work with us every day and helped us grow this company for the last 45 years.”
For more information about R.P. Lumber, visit rplumber.com.
This story was originally published January 24, 2022 at 8:00 AM.
