A & I Supply Co

Charles Cozad and John Duff at A & I Supply Co. in 1986

A & I Supply Co. was located at 224 W. Chillicothe Ave. from about 1971 to 2001

Don Gumpert pictured in the early 1940s

Charles Cozad and Dick Lyman of A & I Supply Co pictured in 1989

Marysville branch of the Howard Supply Co. ad on November 15, 1946

Howard Appliance & Sports store located a 129 S. Detroit St

A & I Supply purchased the former Cussins & Fearn building ca 1971

Logan Sports Center purchased the sporting goods inventory of Howard Supply Co in 1966

A & I Corp purchased the Howard Supply Co. in Urbana in 1973

Attendees of the A & I Supply Co. Christmas Party in 1973

Invoice from A & I Supply Co. dated June 7, 1996

The Howard Supply Co. was established in Urbana in 1938 by Bob Howard. The company sold automotive supplies and later added sporting goods and appliances. In 1946, Howard Supply opened branch stores in Bellefontaine and Marysville. Don Gumpert became the manager of the Bellefontaine store located at 125-127 S. Detroit St. shortly after he returned from serving with the U.S Army during WWII. The Howard Appliance & Sports Store was located next door at 129 S. Detroit St.

John Duff, also a U.S. Army WWII Veteran, started working at the Bellefontaine Howard Supply Co. in 1946 as well. According to Duff, “In the 1940s, the Bellefontaine store only stocked ten exhaust systems for various cars and trucks, plus a few tools and assorted other automotive supplies. One automotive part might fit several different models of a particular make of car or truck. For instance, one muffler or tail pipe might fit cars built over a six-year period, regardless of whether it was a V-8 or a six-cylinder engine.” Duff traveled the road as a salesman from 1959 to 1981, calling on garages, service stations, and car and truck dealers.

The Logan Sports Center, located at 130 W. Columbus Ave. in Bellefontaine, purchased the entire sporting goods inventory of Howard Supply Co. in December 1966.

In January 1968, Don Gumpert, along with John Duff, Charles Cozad, Dick Lyman, and Junior Bell purchased the Howard Supply Co. in Bellefontaine. They changed the name and incorporated the business as A & I Supply Co., the initials stood for automotive and industrial supply. Gumpert was president, Cozad, vice president, Lyman, secretary, and Bell and Duff corporation members.

Around 1971, A & I Supply moved to 224 W. Chillicothe Ave. to the building that previously housed the Cussins & Fearn store. A & I Supply Co. purchased the Howard Supply Co. in Urbana in November 1973.

Bob Fultz, who had been an employee for 16 years, became a business partner in 1984. He recalled it was not unusual to get after-hour calls from customers needing auto parts. Bob’s cousin, Dan Fultz, was also an employee there for 25 years.

When John Duff retired in 1986, he stated, “In the last 40 years there have been so many new makes and models, the import of a dozen or more foreign cars, and the introduction of the metric system. Another major change is electronics being introduced in the last few years in cars, testing equipment is now required for proper tuning, plus computers were placed in most vehicles.” A & I Supply Co. reported that they stocked over 29,000 automotive parts that year.

Don Gumpert was the first of the original partners to retire in 1981. Followed by Junior Bell in 1984, John Duff in 1986, Charles Cozad in 1989, and Dick Lyman in 1996.

In August of 1999, Tess Brenneman, A & I Supply Co. manager, reported “From reconditioning the cylinder heads to a complete engine rebuilding job, the people at A & I Supply have the experience to handle any size job. We have experienced personnel trained in the science of machine work who are always ready to serve you in a friendly, efficient manner. In addition to machine work, we carry a full line of new auto parts to keep your car running smoothly. If the part you require is not readily available, we will special order it for you.”

As the automotive industry changed, and not as many people did their own vehicle repairs and maintenance, there was less need for a full-service automotive machine shop. For more than 30 years A & I Supply Co. had the reputation of being the area’s most professional one-stop auto machine shop and auto parts dealer. The A & I Supply Co. closed around 2001.