Honoring Don Magruder’s 28 Year Legacy at RoMac Building Supply

Today, February 13, 2026, RoMac Building Supply celebrates an extraordinary milestone and an even more extraordinary leader.

After 28 years at the helm, CEO Don Magruder is stepping into retirement, leaving behind a legacy woven into every board, every truss, every window, and every relationship that defines RoMac today.

Fighting the 15-Round Fight

Don has often compared business to a 15-round fight.

“I always thought that survival in business was like a 15-round fight. Each year or moment in time is just another round that you wanted to win, draw, or sometimes just survive. Being knocked out was not an option, but knockdowns were inevitable.”

That mindset did not just shape his leadership philosophy; it also shaped his approach to life. It carried RoMac through one of the toughest economic periods in modern history.

When the United States and Florida economies overheated in the mid-2000s, Don saw what others refused to acknowledge.

“Banks were making ill-advised subprime loans, and while housing was booming, we knew this couldn’t last, and it didn’t. In 2006, the housing boom began to slow. While others were in denial, at RoMac we started taking action.”

By September 2008, the United States economy and housing market were in full collapse. The construction industry was decimated. Many companies in Florida never recovered.

“It was an ugly time as millions lost homes and the construction industry was decimated and knocked to the canvas. Many in our industry here in Florida never got up. But we weathered the beating of 2008 through 2011. Despite the temptation to stop this fight, bloodied and bruised, we answered the bell for another round.”

Instead of retreating, RoMac expanded. Instead of shrinking from opportunity, Don challenged the team with two simple words.

Why not?

“Our team refused to throw in the towel. What emerged was a company hardened by a fight and ready to win. It was our time to win, and we started winning rounds by expanding the business to other markets and other product lines. We said to ourself, ‘Why not?’ and we became one of the top building supply companies in the state of Florida.”

When Don arrived, RoMac was a 16-million-dollar company. Today, it stands at approximately 250 million dollars, fifteen times what it was when he started.

As Dan Robuck III said:

“28 years has led the company to just tremendous growth. We’re 15 times bigger than we were when he started. He led us through the recession where without his leadership, there literally is no RoMac. We don’t make it through.”

The “Why Not?” Philosophy

Don’s belief in possibility was forged long before he arrived in Leesburg.

“I was born in poverty in Starkville, Mississippi. However, I learned a lot from those times, and it always fueled me. I’ve used those ‘why nots’ now as I’ve gotten in the business to even dream bigger. Why can’t we develop people within our company now to be the next leaders of our company? Why not?”

That philosophy built more than revenue. It built people.

Chairman Dan Robuck, Jr. reflected:

“Don has an uncanny knack of picking out and hiring the right person, putting them in the right place and making them better at what they do. There are very few people in the world that have that ability.”

Nic Nowlan, Director of IT, remembers being hired on a Saturday.

“He hired me on the spot, and it changed my family’s life for the better. He’s taught me the right way to treat your employees, the best way to run a business, and you should do it with a sense of humor and not take yourself too seriously.”

James Mark, Insulation Manager, shared:

“Thank you for seeing in me what I didn’t even see in myself. Sometimes he sets a plan in motion without you even realizing it, and months later it dawns on you, ‘This is what Don was talking about.’ And boy, did you leave your mark.”

Lewis Duke, who has worked with Don since 1988, put it plainly:

“Don is a leader. Don leads by example and his work ethic is second to none. Don is a mentor. Don is a teacher. Don is very demanding. Don is a friend.”

A Culture That Became Core Values

Don worked for three generations of Robucks. It is rare for someone to serve one company that long. It is even rarer to shape it so completely.

Three years ago, as retirement planning began, Dan Robuck III found himself wrestling with a question.

What is RoMac without Don?

“If someone had asked me three years ago, ‘What’s RoMac culture?’ I would have said, ‘It’s Don Magruder.’”

Reluctantly, Don agreed to work with Dan and a leadership facilitator to formally articulate RoMac’s culture into words. What they discovered was powerful. The values were not new. They had simply been lived out for decades.

RoMac’s Purpose Statement now says it clearly.

To supply communities and build up people.

That is Don’s legacy in one sentence. And the Core Values that guide RoMac forward reflect the way he led every day.

We Tell the Truth

We are open and transparent with our customers, vendors, and co-workers. When a mistake is made, we call it out. Even when it is hard, we do the right thing.

Integrity defined his leadership, especially in the hardest seasons.

We Always Find a Way

We come up with creative solutions to solve problems, then we do the work. No matter the obstacle, we always find a way to get the job done. RoMac will do the difficult things that others cannot or will not do.

This was the 15-round fight. This was “Why not?”

We Double Check Our Work

From the office to the gate, we work as a team to eliminate mistakes. We take time to focus on the details to get it right the first time. We give and receive feedback.

High standards were not optional. Because customers and communities depend on excellence.

Everyone Loads a Truck

From ownership to new hire, we all pitch in to serve the customer. Good ideas are not limited to management. We listen to and learn from all our associates.

Don never believed leadership meant standing above the work. He believed in standing with the team.

Jake Trapp said it well:

“Having a culture shaped by your leadership, your standards and your example, that’s something I don’t take lightly, Don. RoMac is strong. It’s respected. It’s positioned for the future. And that’s a result of a foundation that you built.”

Those values are now written on paper, but they were written in action long before they were documented.

Beyond the Business

Don’s leadership never stopped at the edge of a jobsite or the doors of a RoMac store. He understood that building supply is ultimately about building communities, and that responsibility requires action.

He was instrumental in launching Construction Academies at high schools in Lake and Sumter counties, creating pathways for students to enter the trades with dignity and opportunity. He has been deeply involved in Habitat for Humanity. And he has never shied away from speaking plainly about one of the most pressing issues facing Florida, housing.

“We have to stand up and fight for affordable housing. And you know, I was told by a politician that you shouldn’t use the term affordable housing because you should use workforce housing because that makes it more palatable. I didn’t know that having homes for people that work in your stores, work in your factories, work in your grocery stores, cut your grass, that you had to make that more palatable.”

For Don, it was not about terminology. It was about people. It was about making sure the very workers who keep communities running can afford to live in them.

And just as strongly, he challenged the community not to back away from supporting the next generation of builders.

“You saw all the students here before. A lot of these kids are going to be looking for jobs in the next few years, and technology is taking them out. Please continue to support construction education.”

He believed construction education was not optional. It was essential.

“Every nail you put in these boards, every screw you put in, they should be done realizing that somebody’s depending on you to do a great job. And your standards should be up here realizing that this is real.”

Homes are real. Families are real. Futures are real.

The Man We Will Miss

Anyone who has worked with Don knows the stories.

John Knop remembers the first day:

“You had that Southern draw coming straight from Mississippi and you said, ‘The big dog is going to eat.’ And what you did!"

Robert Connell said simply:

“You’ve really made RoMac feel like home for me.”

Chairman Dan Robuck, Jr., who hired Don after a second attempt, shared:

“That’s one of the best things that has ever happened to me in my life. We wouldn’t be where we are if it wasn’t for Don Magruder.”

Not everything can be said about Don Magruder in this blog, as he has left a mark on this company far more than words can explain. Hear it for yourself with heartfelt messages from Don's family, coworkers, vendor partners, and our customers.

Answering the Final Bell

After 28 rounds, countless fights, bold expansions, community leadership, and the development of hundreds of careers, Don Magruder leaves RoMac stronger than he found it.

From a small lumber company in Leesburg to one of the largest privately held businesses in the state of Florida, RoMac’s story cannot be told without his name.

But perhaps the greatest measure of his leadership is not revenue growth or market share.

It is the people.

The 600-plus families supported.

The leaders developed.

The students inspired.

The homes built.

Today, we celebrate a fighter who never got knocked out, a leader who always asked Why not, and a man who built more than a company. He built a culture.

Don, thank you for 28 incredible years.

Now go enjoy those grandbabies.

You have earned it.

Journey with us on the highlights of the 28-year career of Don Magruder at RoMac Building Supply. This slide show doesn't come close to touching on every moment of his career, but it shows you who Don was and the impact he left on RoMac.