O'Reilly Auto opens distribution center at former Convoy of Hope HQ

O'Reilly Automotive Inc. (Nasdaq: ORLY) cut the ribbon Friday on a new distribution center in the former headquarters building of Convoy of Hope.

The distribution center is located at 330 S. Patterson Ave., near the auto parts retailer's headquarters at 233 S. Patterson Ave., according to a news release.

“With all the growth that’s happened since our company’s founding in 1957, what’s so exciting to me is that most of our growth is still ahead of us,” said Brad Beckham, O’Reilly Automotive CEO, in the release. "Our distribution network is the key to getting the right parts to our customers when and where they need them, so we can continue to provide the best service to more people in more places."

Snyder Construction Group LLC served as general contractor for the 285,000-square-foot distribution center designed by Buddy Webb & Co. Inc., according to past Springfield Business Journal reporting. Company officials have declined to disclose the project cost.

Convoy of Hope sold its former headquarters building to O'Reilly Automotive when the nonprofit in 2020 announced plans for a new HQ and training center near Republic, according to past reporting. Convoy of Hope opened the $37 million, 200,000-square-foot project at 1 Convoy Drive near Amazon’s Republic facility in 2023.

At the new O'Reilly Automotive distribution center on Patterson Avenue, just south of Chestnut Expressway, company officials say features include reinforced flooring to accommodate robotic sorting and pulling technology.

“The new automated storage and retrieval system enables us to keep the same amount of product in a quarter of the space,” said Bryan DeLong, vice president of the western division of O’Reilly Automotive's distribution operations, in the release. “The robots travel on tracks across and through a dense storage grid, quickly picking parts in a cube-like structure."

The distribution center has around 350 employees, said Sonya Kullmann Cox, public relations director for O’Reilly Automotive. It opened to employees on Sept. 23.
O'Reilly Automotive operates 32 distribution centers in the United States, Mexico and Canada, according to the release. A distribution center apiece in Buford, Georgia, and Stafford, Virginia, are underway.

ORLY stock has hit multiple 52-week highs in recent days, including the current one of $1,198.74 per share this morning, in the lead-up to its third-quarter earnings report on Oct. 23.