Indiana's retail giants.

• Author: Waters, Robin
• Position: Cover Story

They sell groceries, cars, gasoline, electronics, carpet and shoes. They also are some of the retail industry's most innovative players.

MARSH SUPERMARKETS Headquarters: Indianapolis CEO: Don E. Marsh Employees: 11,500 Annual sales: $1.2 billion

Marsh Supermarkets, the nation's 25th-largest supermarket chain, is by far Indiana's largest retailer. Founded by Ermal Marsh in 1931, the company opened its first store in downtown Muncie. Now the chain operates nearly 90 supermarkets throughout Indiana and Western Ohio, and controls nearly a third of the grocery sales in its territories.

Most of the supermarkets bear the Marsh name, though the company also has developed a new store concept known as LoBill Foods that places a special emphasis on low prices. Marsh Supermarkets also runs the Village Pantry chain of convenience stores, of which there are now more than 175.

Marsh is widely recognized as a trend-setter in the food-retailing business. For example, it was a pioneer in the use of electronic price scanning, and more recently it conducted the landmark Marsh Super Study, the food industry's most comprehensive marketing study ever.

Though Marsh Supermarkets is a publicly traded company, it remains very much a family business. Don Marsh, the CEO, is the founder's son. Two of his brothers have top executive positions, and his children also are involved in the business.

KELLEY MANAGEMENT Headquarters: Fort Wayne CEO: James E. Kelley Employees: 800 Annual sales: $350+ million

What is now a father-son partnership was started as a solo car-sales venture by father Jim Kelley on the day in 1952 when son Tom Kelley was born. With a background in tool making--which actually exempted him from serving in World War II so he could use his skills here for national defense--Jim Kelley eventually focused his career on the auto industry.

He purchased his first dealership, a Dodge franchise, in 1952, and later acquired the exclusive Buick franchise for Allen County. Today, the holding company, Kelley Management, has expanded to include eight dealerships--five in Indiana and one each in Oklahoma, Florida and Georgia. The Kelley dealerships represent all GM lines, and Toyota in Atlanta.

SV VENTURES Headquarters: Fort Wayne President: Phillip Dabill Employees: 3,000 Annual sales: $260 million (estimate)

Founded by Don Scott in 1954, the Scott's Food Stores chain was privately held until three years ago. It now is part of an Indiana partnership known as SV Ventures, which is a subsidiary of Super Valu Stores.

Scott's is the leading grocer in the Fort Wayne area. A survey conducted for Fort Wayne Newspapers found that nearly half of the respondents shopped at Scott's in 1993.

Today there are 14 Scott's stores, including seven in Fort Wayne and one each in Angola, Auburn, Bluffton, Columbia City, Decatur, Kendallville and Rochester. SV also runs two Cub Foods stores in Fort Wayne and a County Market in Richmond.

SWIFTY OIL CO. Headquarters: Seymour CEO: Don W. Myers Sr. Employees: 730 Annual sales: $251 million

Food and gasoline products have been the fuel for Swifty Oil Co.'s growth to include 150-plus service stations and eight convenience stores with locations in Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Illinois and Tennessee.

Not a novice to the oil business, Myers was an original founder of Kocolene Development Corp. with his mother, Carrie Myers, and his two brothers, Delbert and Pat. In 1963, Don decided to leave the family business and try his wings by starting his own company, Swifty Oil. Since his home roost was Southern Indiana, he remained committed to the area and expanded quickly in the region. Today, he has taken his business across state lines into four neighboring states.

BUEHLER FOODS Headquarters: Jasper CEO: Dave Buehler Employees: 2,200 Annual...