The Mail-Journal, Volume 23, Number 8, Milford, Kosciusko County, 19 February 1986 — Page 32

Today And Tomorrow —Wed., Feb. 19,1986

Thornburg Drug Co., Inc. is in 73rd year of operation

Thornburg Drug Co., Inc., Syracuse, perhaps the largest drug store chain to operate in north central Indiana, is in its 73rd year of operation, with an annual payroll of sls million and 151 employees between the seven stores. The corporation headquarters and the warehouse distribution center are located in Syracuse. The Syracuse store, located in Wawasee Village, was started in 1913. Other stores include North Webster, Warsaw, Nappanee, Columbia City, South Bend and Niles, Mich. Actual sales for the stores is close to sl2 million. Each store is committed to be an addition to the community, participating in community projects and being of service to the area. The stores offer merchandise at competitive prices in a well displayed, well lighted manner with a friendly atmosphere. “Our aim is to be the best drug store in each community ” remarked John Kroh, president. John and his wife, Gail, purchased Thornburg Drug Corporation in January 1984, from Ralph W. Thornburg, Charles F. Kroh and Lucy Kroh. The board of directors of the new corporation include John and Gail; the Krohs’ three jobs, Steven, Tom and Tim; Larry Mellott; Tom Thornburg; and Barbara Strickler. John joined the drug flrm in 1957 when he was discharged from the United State Navy Medical Corps where he bad served for two years. Steven Korh is vice president of the company. Upon graduation from pharmacy school he served as pharmacist at Eckerds in Florida before joining the family at Thornburgs. Tim Kroh, following graduating with an associates degree in business, is merchandise manager at the company’s Columbia City Store. Larry, who has been with the company over 27 years, is the drug and sundries buyer. He is responsible for products such as aspirin and like product items to such items as furnace filters and tomato stakes. Barbara Strickler has been with the company for 20 years. Her duties include supervising the cosmestics departments purchasing cosmetics from all the major companies, Revlon, Maybelline, Max Factor, etc. and hair care products from all the major suppliers in the United States. She is also

North Webster Welding offers new products along with service

Bob Williamson, owner of North Webster Welding, SR 13, is “skilled in servicing” a wide variety of products and mechanical equipment, but be also offers many new lines in a new expanded showroom with 1,620 square feet of display area that is filled with lawn and garden equipment. “About a year ago we added the Toro line which includes walk mowers, riders, tractors, trimmers, generators, and snowblowers,’’ Williamson explained. “We are also now selling, along with Snapper and Steel chain saws, Power King tractors ranging from 12 to 17 horsepower. Also, a full line of ground engaging equipment such as plows, discs, tillers, cultivators, tractor cabs, and snowblowers.”

7 do general welding repair, fabricating; farm equipment repair, repair on household items and piecework welding jobs. ’

Williamson has on display Country Flame, free-standing stoves and flreplace inserts by Kindlewood, along with woodburning stove accessories such as stove pipe thermometers, chimney fire extinguishers

the jewelry coordinator. She supervises all of the Hallmark and American Greeting Card departments and buys related sundries for each department. Tom Thornburg is the merchandise manager of the 15,000 square foot Nappanee store which has everything a drug store should have and much more, including a Radio Shack franchise. Tom also serves as a sundries buyer plus supervising all the liquor departments in the company stores. In the summer of 1985, Thornburg’s purchased a computer for the corporation to accommodate everything from accounts payable to inventory control and payroll. Grace Betes, Tanya Swihart and Susan Corn manage the computer, plus each has added duties among which are prescription drug buying, advertising layout, including the company’s circulars and coupbn books, collecting accounts, managing the health insurance program and other office duties. Diane Darr is the receptionist. She also handles computerized ordering, accounting details and many other duties of a “Girl Friday.”

Each Thornburg store is committed to be an addition to the community where it is located.

The company’s distribution center and warehouse is operated by Julie Napier. She is responsible for filing the orders each week for the seven stores, inventory control, instructing each vendor on the procedures at the corporation, loading and unloading freight and handling all incoming and outgoing UPS. Mary Lou Hudson is director of store planning and merchandising of over the counter drugs, health and beauty products which includes the composition of each department, space and inventory. This is an ever changing job as new concepts and products arise continually. Lelani Nemeth is buyer of gifts, appliances, household and food related items. She is also the art director and general merchandise manager for company stores and overseeing the placement of products. Company’s History Thornburg Drug Company was founded by the late Ralph E. Thornburg, Sr., in 1913 and was a single store front in an uptown Syracuse building. The store shared the building with a jewelry store and later the Syracuse Post Office. In 1924 the late Charles W. Kroh purchased half the business, after he had studied pharmacy at the Thornburg store, and later took the state examination to become a registered pharmacist. In 1941 Ralph Thornburg, Jr., joined the firm and in 1948 the business moved into a larger uptown building in the Pickwick block. In the summer of 1963, the company mov-

and replacement parts for wood stoves. Another new product that will soon be offered by Williamson is different grades of packaged coal in “easy to carry” returnable plastic containers. He suggests that anyone wanting more information should call North Webster Welding. “The advantage of purchasing the coal in these handy containers is that it may be added with the wood to stretch the wood supply and also helps burn the gas coming off of the wood to produce more heat.” As for services, there is very little Williamson can’t do! “I do general welding repair, fabricating, farm equipment repair, repair on household items and piecework welding jobs.” He says, pontoon and boat repair jobs are also handled by North Webster Welding. He also services chain saws and lawn equipment and does spring tune ups and engine overhauls. The welding business started as a parttime operation nearly eight years ago when he started the business in the garage of his home. He then moved to his present location in a 2,560 square foot building that he recently expanded with the new showroom. Williamson says, “Without servicing, any product isn’t worth much. We service everything we sell. Service is our main product.”

ed to its present location in Wawasee Village. It is a 6,500 square foot building with a 9,000 square foot warehouse. Its first out-of-town store was opened in North Webster in 1949 on the west side of SR 13. After a few months of operation that store burned to the ground. In a short time a new building was erected and the store reopened where it remains in a 4,000 square foot store. Thornburg’s opened its third store in 1956 in the Lowery Shopping Center on East Market Street, Warsaw. That store has 5.500 square feet. It was nine years later, in 1965, that a fourth store was added to the chain, at the Town and Country Shopping Center on the east edge of Nappanee on the south side of

B’S i . IS RHKBi' bK x W c

MAKING THE COMPANY WORK — Shown in the photo is the office staff at Thornburg Drug Co., Inc., Syracuse, who oversees the details that make the business work. These people are in charge of various areas for the seven stores of Thornburg Drug Company. Standing in front are: Mary Lou Hudson, Julie Napier, Grace Betes. Tanya Swihart, and Lelani Nemeth. Standing in back are Larry Mellott, Steve Kroh, John Kroh, Barbara Strickler and Diane Darr.

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US 6. That store, with 15.000 square feet, was remodeled two years ago and remains the chain’s largest store. The following year, in 1966. a fifth store was opened in the Columbia Plaza Shopping Center in Columbia City with 5,000 square feet. Construction was completed in 1984 enlarging the store to 8,000 square feet. The sixth store was added in 1975 in the North Village Mall at the north edge of South Bend. That store has 8,000 square feet. The Niles, Mich., store opened in 1985, and is the company’s first store outside Indiana It was formerly the Krajci Drug Store at 2 North St. Joseph Street. The Niles store is a unique building with exposed wooden ceiling beams, and an old-fashioned soda fountain giving it a neighborly air.