The leaders of R.P. Lumber, new owners of the former Aldrich Lumber and Supply in Powell, are hoping the only changes customers see going forward at the longtime lumberyard and retail store are positive. 

Otherwise, they don’t want to change what the previous owners have done to expand a thriving business. 

“It’s pretty turnkey. Ken and Jan have run a great business, and when we saw it, they do really what we do,” said Sean Rossman, senior vice president for operations and sales at R.P. Lumber, adding that with acquisitions, the most important thing is connecting with people. “We’re from Illinois, we want to come in and let them know our culture, and let them know that it’s similar.”

The midwest lumber supply company purchased the business from Ken and Jan VanGrinsven, who had run the business since 2001. 

“When we met with R.P. Lumber, it was clear they weren’t just looking to expand their operations — they were focused on preserving what we’ve built here in Powell,” said Jan VanGrinsven in an earlier release. “They showed a genuine commitment to our employees, our customers and the community, which made our decision easy.”

Rossman said while there are stores in larger areas, Powell is the type of town many of R.P. Lumber businesses are located in. 

“We’re in a lot of large markets and we’re in communities like Powell,” he said. “These are the communities that we champion. These are the communities that we want to be a part of.”

Rossman said he’s already talked to the VanGrinsvens about what local groups, such as youth sports teams, Aldrich has supported over the years and what R.P. Lumber can do to stay involved. 

He said they’ll also be looking what else the store can offer to the public in addition to what customers have come to expect over the years from Aldrich. The business offers a good mix of services, meeting the needs of professionals and retails consumers.

“Our company is very focused on our motto, which is best service,” Rossman said.

“What we provide to homeowners, what we provide to contractors, is really second to none.”

Founded in 1977 in Staunton, IL, R.P. Lumber has grown into one of the largest independent building materials retailers in the country, with locations spanning Illinois, Missouri, Wyoming, Iowa, Wisconsin and South Dakota.

The company is also planning to keep on all of the employees at Aldrich, and he said there will be benefits for them with having a bigger company behind them as well. 

“There’s benefits to being in a company of our size,” he said. “We are able to purchase things at a different level because of all of our locations. So, you know, we would hope that some of the customers would see that in our pricing and in our product. I hope that the employees see the benefits of being in the larger company.”

He said if the computers go down, instead of the owners trying to figure it out, R.P. Lumber has an IT department that can take over. And if a truck breaks down, the fleet department can step in to provide another one. 

“So I think there’s a lot of benefits for those employees,” Rossman said. “And in talking with them, they’re very excited.”

The goodwill of the employees and the community is important, he said, because when acquiring a new store, the hardest part is ensuring the people accept the change. 

“You know, we’re not a company that comes in and changes things,” he said. “We might roll some paint on, we might fix some metal, we may repave a parking lot. We may come in and hard surface or build a building. But we’re not changing employees, we’re not changing the culture of what they do. We’re continuing on the legacy that Ken and Jan built.”