Culture (2024)

The O'Reilly Culture is our commitment to our customers and our team members.

Where It All Began

O’Reilly Automotive, Inc., officially started in the auto parts business in a single store in Springfield, Missouri, on Dec.2,1957. Today, we have more than 6,000 stores in 48 U.S. states, Mexico, and Puerto Rico. A lot has changed since our founding, but one thing has remained constant: the importance of our culture. Team O’Reilly has remained committed to our culture values, and that’s something that won’t change.

1957 - O'Reilly AutomotiveOpens

Pictured are the first O'Reilly Automotive employee-owners: Red Hale, Wayne Schuler, Paul Ankrom, Jewel Sechler, C.F. O'Reilly, Chub O'Reilly, Ann Drennan, Bob Bach, Hubert Cox, Tony O'Reilly, and Paul Branson. Not pictured are Vic Semmelbeck and Chris Bridwell.

Sales the first year totaled $700,000.

1965 - The Second O'Reilly Store Opens

In July, O'Reilly Automotive openedits second store at the corner of Glenstone Avenue and Bennett Street in Springfield, Missouri.

1975- First Distribution Center andCorporate Office Opens

Chub O'Reilly became president of Ozark Automotive Distributors, which moved into a new 52,000 square foot building with warehouse and office space.

Charlie O'Reilly became president of the O'Reilly store division.

David O'Reilly became general manager of the warehousing division, and Larry O'Reilly became head of sales and acquisitions for both divisions.

1978- Dual-Market Strategy Developed

O'Reilly developedthe dual-marketstrategy toserve both professional technicians in the "do-it-for-me" business and individuals in the "do-it-yourself" retail market.

1980 - First O'Reilly Automotive Managers' Conference Held This is the team at our first Managers' Conference, held in Springfield, Missouri. The company now hosts more than 8,000 leaders at its annual conference, which focuses on team building, business planning, and career development.

1980 - Rosalie O'Reilly Wooten Joins the Company After a career as a high school English teacher, Rosalie O'Reilly Wooten joined the company, leading various departments including Risk Management and Human Resources. She's pictured here in 1983 with her father, Chub, and brothers Charlie, Larry, David.

1989- O'Reilly Opens 100th Store

In January, O'Reilly hit a milestone store count with the opening of the 100th O'Reilly store in Barling, Arkansas.

1993 - O'Reilly Automotive Goes Public

The family decided to take the company public. Shares opened at $17.50 on the Nasdaq stock exchange. This move gave team members a chance to own a piece of the company they helped build.

1998- O'Reilly Acquires Hi/LO

On Jan. 30, O'Reilly undertook the largest expansion in its history at the time, with the acquisition of Hi/LO Auto Supply, nearly doubling in the size of the company. Headquartered in Houston, Texas, the acquisition added a distribution center there and 182 stores across Texas and Louisiana.

1999- OReillyAuto.com Launches

O'Reilly entered the e-commerce marketplace with the launch of OReillyAuto.com in August. It was the first site in the automotive aftermarket industry to offer full e-commerce capabilities.

The same year, the 500th store opened in Marion, Iowa, and new co-presidents were named: Greg Henslee and Ted Wise.

2001 - O'Reilly Acquires Mid-State

The O'Reilly sales footprint grew by five states with the Mid-State acquisition in October. This gave the company an additional 82 stores in five states: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, and Kentucky, and two distribution centers in Nashville and Knoxville, Tennessee. With the growth, O'Reilly became one of the top five auto parts chains in the nation.

2002 - Chub O'Reilly Retires

In October, after 45 years of service, co-founder Charles H. "Chub" O'Reilly officially retired from company operations at age 89.

About this same time, Chub's chidren began to transition from day-to-day leadership to board of director positions.

2005 - O'Reilly Announces New CEO and COO

O'Reilly names Co-Presidents Greg Henslee as chief executive officer and Ted Wise as chief operating officer. With the retirements of Chub O'Reilly, Charlie O'Reilly, Rosalie O'Reilly Wooten, and Larry O'Reilly, Greg Henslee and Ted Wise take over daily operations. David O'Reilly remains active as executive chairman of the board.

This same year, O'Reilly acquired Midwest Auto Parts Distributors, adding 72 stores, 2 distribution centers, and a presence in six additional states: Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

2007 - O'Reilly Celebrates 50 Years

On Dec. 2, O'Reilly celebrated 50 years in the auto parts business. As part of the celebration, Boyd Coddington was commissioned to build a commemorative classic car, a Special Edition 1957 Chevy Bel Air. It was named the Chubster.

By the end of the year, the company had 14 distribution centers and more than 1,800 stores.

2008 - O'Reilly AcquiresCSK

In July, O'Reilly acquired CSK, the parent company of Checker, Schucks, Kragen, and Murray auto parts stores. The deal gave O'Reilly four distribution centers and 1,342 additional stores in 12 states: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Michigan, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, and Washington. The company was now 40,000 team members strong.

2010 - New Corporate Office Opens

In June, O'Reilly opened a new, 115,000-square-foot corporate office building in Springfield, Missouri. The new building created office space for 650 team members.

2012 - O'Reilly Acquires VIP andMoves into the Northeast

The end-of-year acquisition of VIP Auto Parts gave O'Reilly a new distribution center and 56 stores in three states: Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts.

2013 - Greg Henslee NamedPresident/CEO

Greg Henslee became president/CEO of O'Reilly on January 1.

Ted Wise became executive vice president of Expansion.

Later that year, O'Reilly celebrated 20 years on the Nasdaq.

2016 - O'Reilly Acquires Bond

On its 59th anniversary, O'Reilly finalized the acquisition of Bond Auto Parts, taking over one distribution center and 48 stores in four states: Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and New York.

O'Reilly was now in 47 states!

2017 - O'Reilly Names New Co-Presidents, Opens 5,000th Store, and Celebrates60 Years

In February, O'Reilly named Greg Johnson and Jeff Shaw as new co-presidents, reporting to Greg Henslee, who remained chief executive officer.

In October, O'Reilly opened its 5,000th store in Norwich, Connecticut.

In December, the company celebrated 60 years in the auto parts business with more than 75,000 team members in 47 states.

2018 - O'Reilly Announces New CEO, COO, and Executive Vice Chairman of the Board

O'Reilly names Greg Johnson as chief executive officer and Jeff Shaw as chief operating officer. Greg Henslee was named executive vice chairman of the board, and David O'Reilly remained executive chairman of the board.

2019 - O'Reilly Goes International and Sales Reach $10 Billion

In November, the company completed its first expansion outside the U.S. with the acquisition of Mexico-based company, Mayasa Auto Parts. The partnership added 1,100 team members, 21 ORMA-branded parts stores, and wholesale service to more than 2,000 individually owned shops.

In addition, sales for the year ended Dec. 31, reached a milestone of $10.15 billion.

2020 - O'Reilly Steps Up During Pandemic, Rosalie Retires, andFirst Mexico Prototype Store Opens

In March, O'Reilly was declared an essential business, and throughout the year, Team O'Reilly stepped up to support our team members and customers.

In May, a key contributor to the company's growth and success, Rosalie O'Reilly Wooten, retired from all official company responsibilities after 40 years of service.

In December, our first international prototype store, ORMA Auto Parts El Baton, opened in Zapopan, Jalisco, Mexico.

2023 - O'Reilly Opens 6,000th Store and Expands into Puerto Rico

In February, O'Reilly Auto Parts celebrated the 6,000th store opening in Fort Gibson, Oklahoma.

In May, O'Reilly Auto Parts expanded into Puerto Rico, opening its first distribution center and two retails stores in Hatillo and Bayamón.

2023 - O'Reilly Opens New Guadalajara Distribution Center and Rebrands Mexico Stores to "O'Reilly Autopartes"

In July, O'Reilly Auto Parts opened its first new distribution center in Guadalajara, Mexico.

In December, the O'Reilly Autopartes name wentup on more than60 stores in eight Mexico states.

2023 - O'Reilly Enters the Canadian Market with the Acquisition of Vast-Auto Distribution

In December, O'Reilly announced the acquisition of Groupe del Vasto and its two distribution centers, six satellite warehouses, 23 company-owned stores, and more than 500 team members.

"The O'Reilly Culture is what fuels this company and sets us apart. Living our culture helps inspire many team members in a positive way and in turn I have seen so many team members build an outstanding career."

Ramon O., Vice President, Great Lakes Division

Our Culture Values

"Our commitment to one of our culture values, teamwork, is an integral part in creating a great environment for both our customers and our team members."

Bobbi W., DistrictManager

Giving Back to Our Communities

O'Reilly team members are involved in their communities, donating to back-to-school events, volunteering at food banks and relief agencies, taking on projects during the United Way's Day of Caring, and much more.

Child Advocacy Center

Members of our Information Technology Project Management team volunteered at The Child Advocacy Center in Springfield, Missouri. They helped makeblankets to benefit local children.

Habitat for Humanity

Members of our corporate team volunteered at Habitat for Humanity of Springfield, Missouri during the Women Build event. They helped hang siding and installed a support for the covered back porch.

Reading is Fundamental

Members of our corporate teamvolunteered their time at a local elementary school,reading to kids andhelping them choose free books to take home. They also helped students create their own books.

Ozarks Food Harvest

The O'Reilly Auto Parts Legal Department volunteered at Ozarks Food Harvest. They packed food boxes with 27 meals for 480 local seniors.

Charity Golf Tournaments

Each year, O'Reilly Auto Parts hosts a spring and a fall golf tournament to raise money for Springfield-area nonprofits. The effort began in 1999, when it benefited just one charity. It's grown, and in 2023, the tournament raised nearly $660,000, which was distributed to 34 local nonprofits.

Day of Caring

Our team members volunteeredat the Boys & Girls Clubs during the United Way Day of Caring. They helped build and fill raised garden beds so kids could learn about growing their own food.

Convoy of Hope

Team O'Reilly groups regularly attend volunteer nights at Convoy of Hope, an international relief agency headquartered in Springfield, Missouri.

Youth Fundraisers

O'Reilly teams across the country regularly help out local kids. In this case, Vince Grindle, store manager in Okeechobee, Florida, lent a helping hand with the local football team's car wash fundraiser.

Blood Drives

Team members across the country regularly participate in blood drives. In this particular instance, Wied Gay, City Counter Driver in Seagoville, Texas, donated to Carter BloodCare.

"In my 28 years with O'Reilly, a lot has changed. The one thing that hasn't changed is the culture. It is what separates us from our competition and binds us as a team."