R.P. Lumber Co., headquartered in Edwardsville, Ill., was honored as a Beacon Award winner during the Beacon Awards banquet held Friday, Aug. 18. The Beacon Awards are a premier national industry awards program developed by The Hardware Connection magazine and The Hardware Conference to recognize the “best of the best” independent hardware/home improvement retailers in the United States.
The Beacon Awards are sponsored by Epicor Software Corp., Ettore Products Company, and Fluidmaster, with wholesaler sponsorship support from Orgill and other wholesalers.
“R.P. Lumber is very worthy of its inclusion in the 2023 class of Beacon honorees,” stated Chris Jensen, editor/founder/principal of The Hardware Connection, the hardware industry’s leading digital publication. “The Plummer family has a long tradition of giving back to the communities they serve.”
“We are truly honored to be the 2023 Retail Beacon nominee by Orgill,” said Jason Plummer, vice-president of R.P. Lumber. “We are grateful to Orgill and to the entire team at The Hardware Connection and The Hardware Conference. Being named a Retail Beacon is truly an industry honor and reflects the hard work and commitment of our hundreds of great R.P. team members and our company’s many great vendors and partners,” he added.
R.P. Lumber Company was founded in 1977 by Robert and Donna Plummer in Staunton, Ill. A family-owned business, it operates over 80 full-service hardware and building material stores and two truss manufacturing facilities in five states. Locations include Poplar Bluff.
In recent years, the company has been managing a steady growth strategy. “When an opportunity to open a new location or acquire an existing business comes our way, we typically look for small-to-medium sized communities similar to our current markets,” says Robert, who serves as president and CEO. “We are proud when we are able to save and create employment opportunities for local residents and look for markets that are relatively underserved in the hardware and building materials space.”