O'Reilly Auto Parts |
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Official Site: oreillyauto.com
Wikipedia: O'Reilly Auto Parts |
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History
The following section is an excerpt from Wikipedia's O'Reilly Auto Parts page on 16 July 2020, text available via the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
O’Reilly Auto Parts is an American auto parts retailer that provides automotive aftermarket parts, tools, supplies, equipment, and accessories in the United States serving both the professional service providers and do-it-yourself customers. Founded in 1957 by the O’Reilly family, the company operates more than 5,400 stores in 47 states, and 20+ stores in Mexico.
O’Reilly Automotive, Inc. officially started in the auto parts business with one store in Springfield, Missouri, in December 1957.
Michael Byrne O’Reilly immigrated to America in 1849, settling in St. Louis, he worked his way through school to earn a law degree, and then pursued a career as a title examiner. His son, Charles Francis O’Reilly, attended college in St. Louis and went to work in 1914 as a traveling salesman for Fred Campbell Auto Supply in St. Louis. By 1924, Charles had become familiar with the Springfield area, having traveled by train to sell auto parts throughout the territory. By 1932, he had become manager of Link Motor Supply in Springfield, and one of his sons, Charles H. (Chub) O’Reilly, joined the company. Together they provided the leadership and management that made Link the predominant auto parts store in the area.
In 1957, Link planned a reorganization, which would have included the retirement of 72-year-old Charles F. O’Reilly, and the transfer of Chub O’Reilly to Kansas City. Since neither agreed with these plans, they made the decision to form their own company, O’Reilly Automotive, Inc. They opened for business on December 2, 1957, with one store and 13 employees at 403 Sherman in Springfield. Their sales totaled $700,000 in 1958, their first full year of business. By 1961, the company’s volume had reached $1.3 million — the combined volume of O’Reilly Automotive and Ozark Automotive Distributors, a division formed to serve independent automotive jobbers in the area. In March 1975, annual sales volume rose to $7 million and a 52,000 square-foot facility at 233 S. Patterson was built for the O’Reilly/Ozark warehouse operation. By that time, the company had nine stores, all located in southwest Missouri.
| Date | Article | Author/Source |
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| 16 March 2004 | Benefit Software Inc. Helps O'Reilly Auto Parts Communicate the Value of Health Insurance and Other Employee Benefits | Benefit Software Inc. |
| 3 February 2016 | Autoshop Solutions CEO to Speak at O’Reilly Auto Parts Manager’s Conference | Autoshop Solutions |
| 9 February 2017 | Wichita Man Charged In Two Armed Robberies | U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Kansas |
| 7 August 2017 | Wichita Man Sentenced For Armed Robbery Spree | U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Kansas |
| 14 November 2018 | Two Charged with Armed Robbery of Business | U.S. Attorney’s Office, Western District of Wisconsin |
| 4 November 2019 | Memphis Man Sentenced to 141 Months in Federal Prison for Armed Business Robbery | U.S. Attorney’s Office, Western District of Tennessee |