AURORA, Il. - A 125-year-old Illinois lumber company will permanently close 5 of its 18 lumber yards.

 

Alexander Lumber Co. will close its locations in Canton, Lincoln, Monmouth, Rushville, and Taylorville, as well as merge together an additional four locations.

 

“We intend to focus on our core pro builder customer in the Chicago and other mid-sized markets, especially those in Wisconsin, Iowa, and other surrounding states, should any opportunities arise. These are the markets where we have been consistently successful and that allow us to operate to our strengths,” said Russ Kathrein, President/CEO of Alexander Lumber in a release.

 

All of the closing yards will hold liquidation sales through the end of February. An undetermined number of employees will be laid off. 

 

Each of the closing lumberyards will hold liquidation sales from mid-January through the end of February 2019.

 

The company plans to focus on metropolitan and mid-level markets.

 

“We’ve decided to double down on specific markets we believe offer the strongest opportunity for future growth in a difficult fiscal and economic environment,” Walt Alexander, the company chairman, stated in the release.

 

There are currently a total of 18 retail yards under the Alexander Lumber umbrella, 15 in Illinois, two in Wisconsin and one in Iowa. In addition, the company operates truss plants in Cortland and LeRoy, Ill.,  and a showroom/sales office in Twin Lakes, Wis.