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 grainaries 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, after Mr. Huesmann's death. 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 Lucas Oil Stadium. It eventually acquired a much larger warehouse (1921), opened a new division in Fort Wayne, Indiana (1945) and celebrated its Golden Anniversary in 1952. 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, the national sales manager of American Standard. Mr. Pierce was 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 constructed and 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—the death of his daughter—and decided to sell the 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, forming one of the country's first ESOP's. 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. Gene Burt took over the presidency in 2002. Mr. Burt has gone on to open branches in Lafayette and Danville and works hard to ensure the company's continued legacy.