David O’Reilly Honored with MEMA’s Triangle Award

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C., February 12, 2008 – David O’Reilly, chairman, O’Reilly Automotive Inc., Springfield, Mo., was presented the prestigious Triangle Award by the Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association (MEMA) during the O’Reilly Auto Parts National Sales Conference on February 11, in Dallas, Texas.

For more than 30 years, the MEMA Triangle Award has been presented periodically to that person, persons or organization whom the association’s members choose to honor for selfless contribution to the automotive industry.

“David O’Reilly has built his family business into one of the most successful publicly-held auto parts store chains. Its business model is the one which successfully competes in both the do-in-yourself and do-it-for-me markets,” noted Bob McKenna, president and CEO of MEMA. “O’Reilly’s has one of the most consistent earnings growth track records in the industry, thanks to David’s leadership.”

“David’s professional business ethics are a model for the industry,” McKenna added. “He has been very active in automotive aftermarket associations and he has served on many industry committees and supported industry initiatives his entire career. David continues to influence the industry behind the scenes in low key way, making him an ideal nominee for the Triangle award.”

The O’Reilly family started O’Reilly Auto Parts in Springfield, Mo., in November 1957 with one store and 13 employees. Sales totaled $700,000 in 1958, O’Reilly’s first full year of business. Due to the hard work and ability of the original employees, several of whom were stockholders in the company, the business grew and prospered from its very first year.

Today, the company operates 1,830 stores in the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming. In June 2007, the company launched of its Parts City Auto Parts program.

In its Jan. 9, 2008 release of 2007 fourth quarter comparable store sales results, O’Reilly announced the achievement of its target of 190 net new stores for the year with the opening of 56 new stores during the fourth quarter, and that it expects to reach the goal of 205 new stores in 2008. The O’Reilly statement also noted that comparable store sales for stores open at least one year increased 2.1 percent and 3.7 percent for the fourth quarter and year ended Dec. 31, 2007, respectively, versus a 2.1 percent and 3.3 percent respective increase in the prior year.

O’Reilly joined his family business in 1972 after graduating cum laude with a BA degree in business administration and economics from Drury College, Springfield, Mo., and spending a year in the management development program at Southwestern Bell Telephone, Kansas City, Mo.

Under his leadership, O’Reilly Automotive has become one of the largest specialty retailers of automotive aftermarket parts, tools, supplies, equipment and accessories in the United States, serving both the do-it-yourself and professional repair markets.

O’Reilly’s aftermarket industry leadership has included serving as chairman of the Automotive Warehouse Distributors Association (AWDA) in 1989 and on its Board of Governors and Executive Committee from 1986 to 1989. He was a member of Auto Value Associates Inc. from 1983 to 1988 and served as its chairman in 1987. He received the Dick Downey Memorial Award for Outstanding Contribution to Auto Value Associates in 1988.

The MEMA Triangle award was presented to Pete Joy of Haldex Commercial Vehicle Systems, Kansas City, Mo., in 2007. Other past winners include the late Joseph M. Magliochetti of Dana Corp.; Tom Gallagher of Genuine Parts Co., Atlanta, Ga.; Robert H. Raff, MAAP; L. Gene Stohler of Masco Tech Inc.; Frederick J. Mancheski of Echlin Inc.; John M. Riess (then of The Gates Rubber Co.); Larry McCurdy (then of Moog Automotive); and Jack Reilly (then of Tenneco Automotive).

About MEMA

MEMA represents motor vehicle parts suppliers, the nation’s largest manufacturing sector which directly employs 783,100 U.S. workers and contributes to 4.5 million private industry jobs across the country. Suppliers manufacture the parts and technology used in the domestic production of more than 11 million new cars and trucks produced each year, and the aftermarket products necessary to repair and maintain more than 247 million vehicles on the road today. MEMA supports its members through its three market segment associations, Automotive Aftermarket Suppliers Association (AASA), Heavy Duty Manufacturers Association (HDMA), and Original Equipment Suppliers Association (OESA). For more information on the motor vehicle parts supplier industry, please visit www.mema.org or www.automotivesupplier.org.

Source: MEMA

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