Headquarters
8900 East 30th Street
Indianapolis, IN 46219
Phone: 317-898-2411
Fort Wayne
701 East Wallace
Fort Wayne, IN 46803
Phone: 260-745-4961
Lafayette
3980 State Road 38 East
Lafayette, IN 47905
Phone: 765-447-4800
Danville
125 Brazos Drive
Danville, IN 46122
Phone: 317-745-0179
Our History
Louis C. Huesmann formed Central Supply Company in 1902 as a wholesaler of plumbing and heating supplies. The company
began, as most do, with few employees and many ambitions. By 1903 a subsidiary, Indianapolis Belting & Supply, was established
to better serve the needs of local granaries and manufacturing plants. This same year the then twelve-year-old Carl
Wieland started his career as an errand-boy for Central Supply—he eventually inherited the company presidency some twenty-three years later.
During the first half of its existence, the company evolved at an impressive rate. By 1917, Central Supply had outgrown its original headquarters and relocated from the Kirshbaum Building to a roomier spot on Captiol Avenue. Since demolished, this former site now partially houses the Hoosier Dome. It eventually acquired a much larger warehouse (1921), opened a new division in Fort Wayne, Indiana (1945) and celebrated its Golden Anniversary in 1952.
Expanding Horizons
However, all was not golden. By the late fifties, the company had grown stagnant, on the verge of collapse; change was required. This change came
in the form of a purchase by Lincoln "Linc" Pierce, a man with years of experience in the plumbing industry. The company would
not thrive without larger facilities and finer technology. By the time Central Supply relocated to its current residence in 1966,
it had spawned yet another subsidiary, Central Electric Supply (1962) and founded another branch in Dayton, Ohio (1965). Business had exploded.
In 1971, Pierce was visited by a personal tragedy and decided he needed to move away from business. In a span of less than three years, a general sense of dread had come over employees as fears of a corporate sell-out seemed likely to come true. Determined to preserve the status quo, the management staff, combining both funds and effort, decided to take command and purchase the company from Pierce and did so by 1976.
Continued Growth
Pierce was succeeded by Harry W. Marshall, Jr., but there was never a question of where the company would go without its erstwhile leader. Central Supply Company has been on the rise. Despite the closure of the Dayton branch in 1987, it has instead expanded its state-wide presence. The company has always boasted a lavish showroom, but in 1989, said showroom transformed into a high-end subsidiary aptly-named The Elegant Bath. By this time, John H. Carr III had succeeded Marshall. John is still involved in company doings, but the presidency currently is held by Gene Burt.