Born in Noblesville, Indiana, in 1886, Carl Van Zandt was educated
as a pharmacist and in 1909 opened a drug store in Beckley
 before coming to Huntington in 1915. He opened
 Van Zandt-Leftwich Auto Supply in 1919.

Carl Van Zandt was a pioneer in radio broadcasting in Huntington,
 working alongside W.C McKellar in the early years of radio
station WSAZ. In 1922, he began selling radio receiving
sets and later added washing machines and refrigerators.
 Shortly thereafter the company dropped auto supplies
 and changed its name to the Van Zandt Supply Co.

Carl Van Zandt died in 1941 and his son, Richard K. Van Zandt,
took over the company. In 1973, Henry E. Thornburg was
named the company’s president and general manager
 and the younger Van Zandt became
chairman of the board.

Long located in downtown Huntington at 1123 4th Ave.,
the company built a new building for its offices
and warehouse at the Kyle Industrial
 Park on W.Va. 2 in 1978.

For decades Van Zandt Supply distributed RCA consumer electronic
 products and Whirlpool appliances to retailers in southern
West Virginia, southern Ohio, eastern Kentucky and
parts of Virginia. In 1981, the Huntington firm
was absorbed by Hamburg Brothers
Inc. of Pittsburgh.

Richard Van Zandt, who died in 1985, was an elder at the First
Presbyterian Church, an emeritus trustee and honorary
board member at the First Huntington National
Bank and a board member at the Cammack
 Children’s Center for more than 50 years.