Larry Back, the middle son of three, was born in neighboring Connersville in 1949. Nearly five years later when his father changed employment, the Back family relocated to nearby Decatur County.

A 1968 graduate of Greensburg High School, Back and his brothers Robert and Dave have always known the value of hard work and the gains that effort provides.

As with many high school graduates of the late 1960s, unless college was pre-planned, being drafted into the armed forces was a real possibility for high school graduates. At that time, the Vietnam War was at its zenith with regards to American involvement. Rather than get drafted into the Army, Back decided to enlist in the Air Force and in looking back, he considers that one of the best decisions he ever made.

“I was young and as a result of my decision to join the Air Force, I got to travel and see places that otherwise I would never have had the opportunity to see,” Back said.

During his military career his time was divided between being stationed at Texas, Virginia, Nebraska, Thailand and Louisiana.

While in high school the now Rushville businessman worked for Marsh Supermarket and following his military career, he returned to familiar surroundings – both Decatur County and the grocery store. His employment journey toward independence from working for someone else to being his own boss was about to begin.

Following two years with the supermarket chain, Back began a more independent career – that of working for the 7-Up Bottling company in the capacity of employee development and as a sales manager. A year later following a return trip to Texas with a competitor company he had a better grasp of where he belonged.

“At that stage of my life, I found out early on that Texas was not my cup of tea; it was a different kind of world out there,” Back said.

Returning to Indiana in 1985 Back returned to work for 7-Up at a Cincinnati location although a year later when the company asked him to relocate to either Kentucky or Texas he bid them good-bye for a final time and joined his fathers’ business Back’s TV & Appliance.

According to Back, it was his father’s hope and his thought that his older brother (Robert) would assume the head of the family owned and operated business however as with most things in he life, the planned course was just not to be. Now 20-plus years later Larry feels he is just where he was meant to be, running the day-to-day operations of the family business.

In looking back the businessman was quick to dispel a myth that working for one’s self is easy.

“It (being self employed) is a lot more difficult than most people would believe. I probably work harder and smarter now than at any point in my life. I really think that most people think it is quite the opposite,” Back said.

The business is still owned by the elder Back (Raymond), although as close as he gets to returning to the business aspect is when his son sees him at the nursing home he now resides in.

When asked what he feels is the best aspect of small town life Back was quick to say the Golden Rule. In whatever sense one deals with the public, people like and deserve to be treated well and if you do the best you can to help them then they will come back to you in a business sense.

According to Back the downside is that from a business sense he feels people tend to think a smaller town translates into higher cost when in reality it is simply more of a reduction of choice.