Industrial Supply Company History
 Industrial Supply Company was
incorporated on October 22, 1915, as a mine and industrial supply
company in Brazil, Indiana, with its primary mission to service the
needs of the coal mine operations located there along with the clay
brick and tile companies in Clay and surrounding counties. Original
officers of the organization were B.F. Crawford, President, MacMillan
H. Johnson Sr., Vice President, James T. Simms, Secretary, and Harley
R. Ireland Sr., Treasurer. |
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One
of the founders of the organization and principal stockholder was Mr.
Johnson. Originally from Ohio, he relocated at the age of sixteen to
Indianapolis. Five years later, he moved to Brazil and entered the coal
mining business. For many years, he was general manager of the Jackson
Coal and Mining company near Brazil. Later, Mr. Johnson became vice
president and general manager of Parke County Coal. Ultimately, these
experiences led to his founding of the Industrial Supply Company.
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Johnson's son-in-law Harley R. Ireland Sr., who was born in Brazil and
started his career at the age of twelve as an office boy for a local
steel company. Several years later, he was made general superintendent
of Hydraulic Press Brick Company's Brazil factory. Later, he was
transferred to Zanesville, Ohio, to become general manager of that
branch and was placed in charge of sales for southern Ohio and all of
West Virginia. Eventually, Mr. Ireland severed his ties to Hydraulic so
that he could devote his entire attention to Industrial Supply.
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During
the year 1926, the company opened another branch in Bedford, Indiana,
at a leased property in an attempt to gain additional business in that
section of the state commonly known as the Stone Field - the limestone
producing counties of Monroe and Lawrence. Current President Harley R.
Ireland III, son of Harley R. Ireland, Sr., joined Industrial Supply in
June 1931. He was a graduate of Brazil High School and had attended
Indiana University. In 1932, then-General Manager Harley R. Ireland,
Sr. passed away unexpectedly from a stroke; he was age forty-six. At
this time, John B. Scofield, who had started out working at the Brazil
branch in the early 1920's, became General Manager of Industrial Supply
Company. Mr. Scofield was born and reared in Brazil, had attended
Indiana University, and was a veteran of World War I. Due to the death
of his father, Harley R. Ireland III was unable to continue his
education at IU; he has since
then spent his entire adult life working for Industrial Supply - except
for a stint serving in the Army Air Corp during World War II.
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| In
1934, Industrial Supply decided to close the Bedford operation due to
the adverse business conditions in the limestone industry during the
Great Depression. President M. H. Johnson passed away in August 1936,
and Howard C. Hill was elected President in February 1937. Mr. Hill
served in that capacity until his death in June 1940. Three months
later, John B. Scofield became President of Industrial Supply. Later,
due to the volume of continually increasing business in Terre Haute
during the World War II era, the company bought the entire Bader Hotel
property and extensively remodeled the structure in 1945 to meet its
growing warehousing needs.
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In
1966, the corporation more than doubled its Terre Haute warehousing
capacity to a total of more than 45,000 square feet. A 101 ft. x 140
ft. warehouse was built directly behind the former Bader Hotel property
on Chestnut Street, and the nearby smaller warehouses were closed. This
new building, which also featured an order counter, loading docks, and
two large pipe sheds, was designed by Morton Levine and Associates.
Basic layout was provided by Irving Footlick, who was a noted
warehousing specialist. As a result of the overwhelming success of the
new Terre Haute warehouse, the Brazil branch was phased out in May
1971. Since then, all operations have been centered at the Terre Haute
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Mr. Scofield's death in 1978, the office of President was passed to
Harley R. Ireland III. Donald M. Ireland, son of Harley, joined the
firm full-time in May 1977, and became the fourth generation of his
family to work for Industrial Supply Company. Before that, he had
worked summers while attending Indiana University, and this part-time
position had created an interest in pursuing a business career there
after he received a bachelor's degree in business administration.
Eventually, Donald Ireland became Vice-President in 1985. Industrial
Supply was struck by a fire in December 1987 and luckily only sustained
minor damage to the top floor and roof of the office building. In 1989,
the company once again decided to modernize the facility and completely
remodeled its offices.
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| In
March 1990, the company decided to computerize all of its operations
and began installation of a large, highly sophisticated mainframe
computer system from Prophet 21 Inc. After many months of hard work by
the company's personnel, the computer system went on-line on October 1,
1990. This new system automated many business functions that were
previously manual such as order entry, purchasing, invoicing,
accounting, and inventory management. Since then,
the company has regularly upgraded it's computer hardware and software
to ensure that it remains
competitive in today's market.
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Initially,
the company capitalized on Mr. Johnson's background by specializing in
mine, mill, and contractor supplies. But closely allied with the mine
and mill supply trade was that of plumbing and heating; and in 1924,
Industrial Supply expanded their product offering to include additional
lines of plumbing, heating, and air conditioning products. Presently,
the corporation operates as a general line distributor of pipe, valves,
and fittings; industrial and water works supplies; abrasives and
cutting tools; hand and electric tools; miscellaneous industrial
supplies; plumbing fixtures, parts, and accessories; and heating and
air conditioning products. Also, Industrial Supply is committed to
continually reviewing and enhancing its product line offerings; for
example, in 1994 the organization added an entirely new line of carbide
products.
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| Industrial Supply turned eighty
years old in 1995. As part of the anniversary celebration, the
company published its first catalog, showcasing over 20,000 items, in
May. On September 19, the company hosted a trade show featuring over 45
manufacturer booths, an open house, and reception.
And Indiana Governor Evan Byah proclaimed October 22, 1995, as
"Industrial Supply Co. Day in the State
of Indiana, in honor of the 80th anniversary of a vital Hoosier
institution, the dedicated men and
women who founded it, and the people who run Industrial Supply today."
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Industrial Supply was realizing growth and needed to expand its operations. As a result, the company decided to open a new branch in Danville, IL on December 1, 1998. The branch features an order counter, sales office and new warehouse. |
