Epsilon Beta (Drury) Chapter alumni and Sigma Nu Hall of Fame brothers Larry and David O’Reilly can scarcely recall a time when their childhood didn’t revolve around the family business, O’Reilly Automotive, and the ever-growing network of O’Reilly Auto Parts stores across the country.
Pitching in and helping out was part of growing up in the O’Reilly household. Through those early years, the brothers came to understand and appreciate the family legacy being created.
“As an 8-year-old boy, I could never have envisioned the result of what I observed my dad and grandfather accomplishing,” David O’Reilly said of his father Charles H. “Chub” O’Reilly and grandfather Charles Francis “C.F” O’Reilly, who opened the first O’Reilly Auto Parts store in Springfield, Missouri, in 1957. “It’s clear now what I was watching was the ‘O’Reilly Culture’ in its formative stages.”
Years later, Larry and David O’Reilly would continue building the family business, serving as key leaders in its success and expansion for decades – along with their older siblings, Charlie and Rosalie.
O’Reilly Automotive has grown from its first store in 1957 to more than 6,100 locations of O’Reilly Auto Parts stores across 48 states, Puerto Rico, Mexico, and Canada. The company employs more than 90,000 team members and ranks among the largest retailers of automotive parts in the United States. Its catchy jingle ("O, O, O, O'Reilly…Auto Parts...Ow!") is among the most recognized.
David O’Reilly, who served as the company’s CEO from 1993 through 2005, said the growth and success of the company remains tied to the core beliefs established by “C.F.” and “Chub” O’Reilly. The two founders knew the transportation sector was constantly changing… and therefore, the company would have to continually evolve.
“We adapt with the changes in the industry, and we foresee being able to adapt to whatever the future holds,” said David O’Reilly of the company’s constant eye on the automobile horizon.
Today, as the O’Reilly leadership reins are gradually handed over, David and Larry are certain of one thing: The focus on customer service and the commitment to innovation will remain the bedrock of O’Reilly Auto Parts' business model.
During his keynote remarks at the 2016 Sigma Nu Fraternity Grand Chapter, Larry O’Reilly, who joined the company in 1969, summed up the keys to success for the past seven decades.
“It’s the people,” he said, referencing the more than 90,000 team members. “It’s the one thing that makes all the difference.”
Larry O’Reilly extends that concept to his time in Sigma Nu as part of the Epsilon Beta chapter at Drury College (now University), and how proud he was to be a brother.
“It was the one place I could go to find help when I needed it,” he said during his 2016 keynote address. “It was our group of brothers…always helping each other…just like our company today.”
He acknowledges the Fraternity’s cardinal principles of “Love, Honor and Truth” have always guided him in his approach to life as well as in business.
From Ireland to the American Dream
It was the pursuit of economic opportunities that brought the O’Reilly family to the United States in 1849. Michael Byrne O’Reilly (Larry and David O’Reilly’s great-grandfather) was only 11 years old when his family left Ireland amidst the Potato Famine, lured to America by the promise of a better life.
The family settled in St. Louis, where Michael Byrne O’Reilly grew up, married and had six children, including Charles Francis ‘O’Reilly (Larry and David O’Reilly’s grandfather), born in 1883.
It was “C.F.” O’Reilly who took the first step on the road that would define the family for generations. In 1914, he took a job as an auto parts salesman in St. Louis, before moving in 1927 to Springfield, along with his wife and nine children. There, he took a sales job with Link Motor Supply Company, and was joined at Link two years later by his 16-year-old son, Charles “Chub” O’Reilly.
In a 2017 biography, “O’Reilly Auto Parts…A Family Culture,” “Chub” O’Reilly (Larry and David O’Reilly’s father) describes his first job at Link as “wheeling around Springfield’s gravel roads, delivering parts on a three-wheeled motorcycle with a sidecar, and earning a wage of 25 cents an hour.”
In the 1920s and ‘30s, many people still traveled by streetcar and horse and buggy. However, the number of automobiles on the roads was increasing - and those drivers were looking for replacement parts and upgrades.
“A lot of the cars back then didn’t come with bumpers, so we sold front and rear bumpers, and luggage racks that fastened to the side running board of the car,” recalled “Chub” O’Reilly in the family biography. “They didn’t come with roll-up windows, so we sold side curtains and windshield wipers.”
The example of work ethic and dedication to the family set by their father was instilled in “Chub’s” children, who would forever emulate his approach to life and business.
“My dad was my role model…a good man who cared tremendously for his family and was just a hard-working guy,” Larry O’Reilly said. “He knew that was the secret sauce…teamwork, honesty, hard work, never give up, never quit…it was very meaningful [growing up] and still is today.”
The Road Ahead on Their Own ‘Wheels’
Working together at Link Motor Supply, “C.F.” and “Chub” O’Reilly helped make Link the predominant auto parts store in the region. But the entrepreneurial spirit burned bright in father and son.
In 1957, after 30 years with Link, “C.F.” O’Reilly left to form his own business – O’Reilly Automotive – alongside his son “Chub” O’Reilly, who by then had a family of his own.
A rented building on Sherman Street in downtown Springfield, served as the first location of O’Reilly Automotive Parts, housing the entire workforce of 13 people -- with “C.F.” O’Reilly as president, and “Chub” O’Reilly as vice president.
Although he was a young child when the family business launched, David O’Reilly still clearly remembers its impact, noting it “was a very big deal to our family and life.”
Larry O’ Reilly credits his grandfather and father with the vision and courage to strike out on their own, creating opportunities for the entire family which continue today.
“The auto parts business was really all they knew…and they were very brave men to start a business at their ages and with very little money or backing,” he said.
After decades in the workforce, both “CF” and “Chub” O’Reilly knew the algorithm for success. They knew it wasn’t just about the pitch or the product, but more about the people and the process.
In the public notice announcing the opening of the first store in December 1957, the founders emphasized their commitment to quality customer service and products.
“We will offer to our host of kindly and loyal friends…the kindly and proven Hand of Friendship, Courtesy and Consideration…backed by adequate stocks of good merchandise plus prompt, efficient Service. We will do all in our power to merit your continued friendship and patronage…in the handling of the business you entrust to us.”
Larry O’Reilly said that foundation of commitment and care was fundamental from the start, setting an example for future generations.
“If you look at my past, growing up in the auto parts business, we really didn’t have a lot of money, but we had a desire to succeed,” he said.
Ushering in the Age of the Automobile
The timing for O’Reilly Automotive was fortunate. The 1950’s saw the automobile become the symbol of the American lifestyle – fueled by the post-war boom and rising prosperity across the country. In the 1920s, there were approximately 8 million cars on the road across the United States. By 1950, that number would jump to nearly 40 million.
It was the optimal intersection of buyers and suppliers. Visionaries like the O’Reilly family were well-positioned to support the growing demands of drivers.
The company also benefited from the Federal Aid Highway Act in the mid-1950’s. leading to the construction of 41,000 miles of highways that criss-crossed the nation. People were exploring the country from ocean to ocean, and “C.F.” and “Chub” O’Reilly were one step ahead.
They knew the demand for auto parts would only grow in the years to come. The 1950’s had ushered in cars chock full of new options, including seat belts, air conditioning, FM radio, automatic transmission, power steering, brakes, windows, and more. All the moving parts meant continual service and repair. O’Reilly Automotive was there to fill the needs.
In its first year, sales for O’Reilly Auto Parts totaled $700,000 (the equivalent of nearly $8 million in today’s dollars). As the bottom line grew, so did their reputation for quality and service. In 1965, just eight years after the first store opened, a second O’Reilly Auto Parts opened in Springfield to meet the demand. Customer service remained the core of the company.
“All the [repair shops] had our home phone number and knew they could call on nights and weekends if they needed a part for a customer,” David O’Reilly said. “That lesson was ingrained early on as the most important aspect to business.”
Building the Business with Family First
All four O’Reilly children learned the ropes of business from an early age. Larry was 11 and David was 8 when the first store opened; and being a part of it was never in question.
“When you grow up in a family business it’s just a natural evolution of interest and involvement…. it ends up being in your blood,” said David O’Reilly, recalling the weekends and summers he helped out at the store, alongside his father and grandfather, siblings, and a host of cousins and relatives.
He joined the company in 1972, one year out of college and after the opening of the fifth O’Reilly Auto Parts store; joining brothers, Charlie and Larry, who had been there since 1963 and 1969, respectively. Sister Rosalie joined in 1980 after a career in education.
“I worked at Southwestern Bell Telephone for one year, thinking I might want to do something ‘on my own’,” David O’Reilly said. “But dad and my brother Charlie convinced me there would be [similar] opportunity in our family business.”
The decision would be the right one for David, who would serve as chief executive officer from 1993-2005, before stepping down as CEO to take a position as chairman of the board of directors.
By the time David joined the company, Larry O’Reilly had been with O’Reilly Automotive for a few years.
Although he considered other job prospects after graduation, Larry recognized the opportunity to control his future lay within the family business. He served as president of the company during the 1990s before retiring in 2003, and now serves as a director on the board of directors.
Although David and Larry O’Reilly no longer oversee the daily management of O’Reilly Auto Parts, their positions on the board of directors allow them to continue guiding the organization they helped build.
Instilling the “O’Reilly Way” through the Company Culture
David O’ Reilly recalls the first lesson learned about the family business was the focus on customer service.
“It was the absolute highest priority… above all else,” he recalls. “And dad would do anything to take care of a customer.”
It wasn’t just those who came into the store looking for products. The “customer” included every employee of the company. From day one, O’Reilly Automotive began building a culture of mutual respect and support among its team members.
That program was formalized in the late 1990s with the “O’Reilly Culture Grid,” which established the components of vision, values, expectation, behavior, safety and wellness, and commitment. This Culture Grid became the blueprint for all employees – from the interns to the leaders - to follow.
It came to be referred to as the “O’Reilly Way” of doing business, which meant not just excellent customer service, but staying ahead of the competition by hiring and retaining knowledgeable, enthusiastic, and hardworking employees.
“We began the company with treating workers like family, and that has continued through the years,” said Larry O’Reilly.
Those principles, embedded from an early age, guided both David and Larry O’Reilly as they found their place in Sigma Nu fraternity at Drury College (now University) in Springfield.
“Being a part of Sigma Nu was so helpful in a time where there was a lot of growing up taking place,” Larry O’Reilly said of his time in the Epsilon Beta chapter at Drury. “You could ask for support from the brothers and always get it…it was just like family…and I never considered any other fraternity.”
When David O’Reilly arrived on campus a few years later, he found the same supportive atmosphere.
“As a young man finding his way through those formative years, I greatly benefited from the brotherhood, camaraderie, and friendships that developed,” said David O’Reilly who served as chapter Commander of the Epsilon Beta Chapter. “There were so many opportunities within the fraternity to learn and develop leadership, social, and interpersonal skills.”
Expanding the Auto Parts Empire and Going Public
David and Larry O’Reilly came on board with O’Reilly Auto Parts at a pivotal time for the company. With the success of the first two stores in Springfield, and the third in 1965 in Joplin, Mo., a model was in place for rapid expansion.
Over the next 30 years, O’Reilly Auto Parts opened 200 stores across Missouri, and began the march into neighboring states. The expansion came through building new stores as well as acquisitions of other stores, while remaining a family-owned business.
In 1993, that changed when O’Reilly Automotive became a publicly traded company.
The decision to move from private to public ownership was a calculated decision, said David O’Reilly, with many factors the family carefully considered. A public company would mean the shareholders were now the “bosses” and decisions had to be made in their best interest, alongside the family interests.
“Being a private company was always a challenge in holding ourselves to a high standard,” said David O’Reilly, who led the company through the process as the CEO. “But there’s nothing like being accountable to the entire investment community, including family, friends, neighbors…and it has turned out to be the best decision our company ever made.”
Following the company’s transition to a public entity, Larry O’Reilly was named Vice Chairman of the Board and Chief Operating Officer of O’Reilly Automotive Inc., alongside his brother, David, who served as Vice Chairman and Chief Operating Officer.
The infusion of capital through the sale of public shares accelerated the opening of stores, allowing O’Reilly Automotive to expand beyond its Midwest base to nearly the entire country over the next two decades. In February 2023, O’Reilly opened its 6,000th store in Fort Gibson, Oklahoma. Two months later the company opened the first international locations in Puerto Rico and Guadalajara, Mexico.
O’Reilly Auto Parts became a Fortune 500 company in 2010, with annual revenues approaching $5 billion. By 2024, the company’s sales revenue climbed to $16 billion, with the company valued at nearly $60 billion.
A Focus on Servant Leadership and Philanthropy
The O’Reilly family business model reflects their faithful and intentional stewardship, aligning with the ideal “to whom much is given, much is expected.”
Blessed by the opportunities the family found as immigrants to the United States, they have paid it forward ever since.
“Our family, by example of our grandad and dad, were great role models in giving,” Larry O’Reilly said, adding the O’Reilly Family Foundation has donated millions of dollars over the years to education, health and social initiatives. “[Our intent] has always been to give back and help others… it is a heartwarming experience to do so.”
In 1992, the O’Reilly family received the prestigious National Entrepreneur of the Year Award from Ernst & Young, in addition to Outstanding Philanthropist of the Year from the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP).
Today, Larry and David O’Reilly remain active on the corporate board for O’Reilly Automotive, but focus more of their attention on personal pursuits and family.
For David, that means spending time with his wife, his three children, grandchildren, traveling, and maintaining his health and fitness.
“As far as my legacy, I hope I’ll be remembered as a good father to my children, a good member of the community, and a friend to numerous people in the community.”
For Larry, he enjoys simply being outside…whether it’s gardening, riding his bike, traveling, helping preserve land and parks through conservation efforts…and spending time with his wife, three daughters, and grandchildren.
“I believe my Dad said it best when he said we should always strive to be remembered as caring, helpful and respected by those around us,” said Larry O’Reilly.
Larry and David O’Reilly, servant-leaders exemplifying Sigma Nu’s Way of Honor, indeed.
