Hawkeye Reporter

Dubuque-based lumber company Spahn & Rose Lumber Co. has announced the purchase of Metro Building Products based out of Georgia. Spahn & Rose intends to leave many elements of Metro Building Products the same, including the business name, local management and marketing strategies.

The acquisition of Metro Building Products is the third major acquisition for the Dubuque lumber company in three years. In 2019, Spahn & Rose purchased Dunn Lumber of Wisconsin, and last year it purchased Moeller & Walter Lumber of Reinbeck.

"Metro Building Products shares the same values and corporate culture as Spahn & Rose," said Dave Davis, the CEO of Spahn & Rose, in a press release. "Like Spahn & Rose, Metro provides outstanding service to both contractor and homeowner customers. This was a unique business opportunity, and we're very proud to have Metro join Spahn & Rose."

The leadership of Metro Building Products were also pleased by the purchase. 

"For more than three decades, Metro Building Products has always maintained a high level of customer service while providing quality products to contractors and homeowners," founder of Metro Building Products Joe McKenzie said in the release. "Metro has been growing and thriving, and with Spahn & Rose we're going to have new and exciting opportunities to serve our customers."

Spahn & Rose has been in business since 1904 and now operates 17 locations across Iowa, according to its website. It has subsequently become a top lumber distributor in the Midwest and was named as one of the top 100 lumber and building-materials distributors in the country by ProSales. Spahn & Rose has 23 locations spread throughout Iowa, Wisconsin and Illinois. 

The company has also expanded beyond just lumber, and its products now include engineered lumber, fiberglass insulation, drywall, siding and an increased range of woodwork including cabinetry, flooring and roofing.