O’Reilly Family

AUTO PARTS SALES

The name O’Reilly is seen in front of thousands of auto parts stores across the country and on the hoods of NASCAR and other racing vehicles, but the nationwide fame started in Missouri, where the family continues to call home.

THE EARLY YEARS

The patriarch of the O’Reilly family moved to Missouri in the mid-1800s from Ireland. Michael Byrne O’Reilly settled in St. Louis where he earned a law degree and took a job as title examiner. His son, Charlie Francis O’Reilly, was born and raised in St. Louis and was the driving force behind the auto parts legacy that succeeded him.

RISE TO FAME

Charles Francis “C. F.” O’Reilly took a job at an auto supply company in St. Louis where he sold parts throughout the Midwest. One of the cities in his territory was Springfield, Missouri. He realized the area was poised for growth, so he asked the company to transfer him. He eventually became the manager of Link Motor Supply in Springfield where his son, Charles H. “Chub” O’Reilly, also worked. The two helped grow the company into one of the largest auto supply stores in the area in the 1930s.

During company reorganization, the owner of Link Motor pushed the elder O’Reilly toward retirement and tried to transfer his son to Kansas City, but the two balked at the plan. The O’Reilly’s weren’t ready to quit the business, or move, so they decided to start their own store. O’Reilly Automotive, Incorporated, was born and opened to the public in November of 1957.

SHOW ME SUCCESS

O’Reilly Automotive started small, with only one store and twelve employees.  Sales and revenues were strong from the start, and expansion followed shortly thereafter. After C. F. passed away, Chub O’Reilly took the reins and forged ahead to grow the company. As with many family businesses, the children expanded the corporation beyond what their parents ever imagined. This happened not only when Chub took over from his father, but also when Chub’s children succeed him. Chub literally raised his children in the business, so they had a good understanding of the company’s core business beliefs when it was time for them to take over. His children, Charles H. “Charlie,” Larry, Rosalie, and David, were already groomed for business success, which was rapidly happening around them as they grew up.

Just four years after the company was founded, sales reached more than a $1 million. Fourteen years later, that number rose to more than $7 million in sales revenue, with stores in many cities in southwest Missouri. The 1990s and early 2000s were a time of rapid expansion and explosive growth for the company.

By the early 2000s, there were around fourteen hundred O’Reilly Auto Parts Stores in 25 states with sales approaching $2 billion.  By 2021, the company had more than 56-hundred stores in multiple countries. Despite the company’s nationwide success, much of the family continues to call Springfield their home.

EXTRA, EXTRA!

O’Reilly made their influence felt sponsoring numerous high-profile races, including:

•  The O’Reilly 300 NASCAR Busch Series.
•  The O’Reilly NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals.
•  The O’Reilly 250 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Race.
• The O’Reilly Auto Parts 500