O’Reilly CEO Announced as Customer Keynote at Vision Conference
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By Counterman
Worldpac announced two Hall of Famers as keynote speakers for its biannual
link hidden, please login to view. Professional football legend Terry Bradshaw and triathlete-turned-motivational speaker Siri Lindley will deliver dynamic conversations on leadership, entrepreneurship, and upskilling operations in an increasingly competitive landscape during the conference taking place Aug. 19-23, at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center, in National Harbor, Maryland. As the largest and most comprehensive automotive aftermarket training and vendor expo in North America, according to Worldpac,
link hidden, please login to view will feature more than 300 educational courses from top industry experts from original equipment brands and the Worldpac Training Institute. The sessions will focus on the latest and emerging trends in electric and manufacturer-specific vehicles, automotive technologies, and business management. It will also showcase exhibits from more than 250 international parts manufacturers. Terry Bradshaw will lead the discussion during the conference’s opening session Aug. 20 at 6:45 p.m. ET from the STX stage. A four-time champion and Hall of Fame quarterback who led the league in his prime, Terry will set the tone for what is expected. The broadcast analyst will bring unmatched insight, leadership perspective, and his larger-than-life personality to the stage for thousands of attendees eager to learn what it takes to succeed.
Two-time world champion and Hall of Fame triathlete Siri Lindley will keynote the STX Accelerate Women’s Lunch on Aug. 22 at 12:30 p.m. ET. Drawing from her extraordinary journey as a world champion triathlete, elite coach to Olympic competitors and cancer survivor, Siri delivers a powerful message on resilience, courage and unlocking one’s full potential. Her inspiring story and actionable insights make this a session attendees won’t want to miss, Worldpac said.
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By Counterman
link hidden, please login to view concluded its 2026 Business and Training Conference this weekend in Rogers, Arkansas, bringing together more than 700 automotive aftermarket professionals for three days of focused training, strategic insights, and industry collaboration. The event welcomed a broad cross-section of the aftermarket, including store managers, outside sales representatives, territory, regional, and district managers, independent owners and vendor partners—reinforcing Bumper to Bumper’s commitment to strengthening its network through education and shared success.
General sessions were led by CEO Fletcher Lord III and COO Ben Butler, who outlined
link hidden, please login to view, key operational focus areas, and ongoing efforts to drive performance across the network. Attendees also heard from keynote speaker Houston Nutt, a two-time SEC Coach of the Year and former head football coach at the University of Arkansas and Ole Miss. Drawing on his 19-season coaching career and experience as a CBS Sports analyst, Nutt delivered a message focused on resilience, accountability, and team culture—principles that closely align with the values driving success across the aftermarket. A central focus of the conference was hands-on training and professional development. Attendees participated in 51 breakout sessions led by channel partners, designed to strengthen product knowledge, enhance sales effectiveness, and improve operational execution. The vendor expo featured 90 companies, 113 booths, and 273 sales representatives, giving attendees direct access to new products, emerging technologies, and practical aftermarket solutions.
“This year’s ‘Red, White and Revved Up’ theme aligned with the upcoming 250th anniversary of America while also reflecting our 107-year legacy of growth and evolution,” said Elizabeth Estes, director of training. “It’s a powerful reminder of where we’ve been—and the momentum we continue to build together as an organization, industry and country.”
“The strength of our business comes down to our people, our partnerships, and our ability to execute,” said Fletcher Lord III, president & CEO. “This conference is about equipping our teams and our customers with the tools, knowledge, and relationships they need to grow.”
In addition to educational programming, the conference created multiple opportunities for networking and relationship-building, including a themed vendor expo and evening events that connected distributors, suppliers, and independent owners in a more informal setting.
The event concluded with a formal awards banquet recognizing top-performing channel partners and industry leaders, highlighting excellence across the Bumper to Bumper network.
With attendees representing more than a dozen states, the 2026 conference reinforced the critical role of collaboration, training, and supplier alignment—and reflects Bumper to Bumper’s continued investment in the future of the automotive aftermarket.
Photos by Shann Swift with Swift Shots Photography.
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By Counterman
On the surface, the primary role of a parts professional is to help our customers identify and select the parts, supplies and services needed to complete a multitude of repairs. However, there are many other duties beyond simple cataloging exercises which separate a true parts professional from a key-punching cashier at the grocery checkout lane. Too often, the general public sees us as simple clerks, but when is the last time you asked a cashier at the register how to perfectly sear that ribeye you just paid for?
Our customer base may vary from store to store, but many of us deal with an eclectic mix of clientele each day. These patrons also come with varying levels of technical knowledge or abilities. For most of our commercial customers, we are already a trusted partner. Technicians have usually diagnosed and estimated the labor for a repair job before requesting our expertise, but still lean on their “go-to” parts specialist to get the correct components quoted correctly and delivered to them quickly. These customers “speak our language,” and we are expected to speak theirs, as well.
When it comes to the “decidedly DIY” segment of our business, many of the conversations we have can feel like more of a struggle. Often through no fault of their own, this portion of our population finds themselves tackling unfamiliar repair situations, or attempting to navigate diagnostic recommendations or repair instructions that seem to be written in a completely different language. Our daily interactions with repair professionals and coworkers, as well as our own life experiences, have helped us all to build a knowledge base which serves as one of the main reasons our individual services are in demand to begin with.
The average consumer views most auto parts as a commodity, so many of our widgets are “all the same” to them. As “car people,” we already know the differences between our products, which ones to recommend, and what we can reasonably expect from them. Even if we don’t physically install components or repair vehicles, we often have a pretty good sense of what it takes to perform the task required, and what else may need to be removed and replaced along the way to the goal of installing the parts we’re handing across the counter.
When dealing with a “less-technical” parts buyer, we must be prepared to spend a little more time at the counter or on the telephone. Drawing out all of the relevant information (and filtering out the irrelevant) is often the first step in determining the customer’s needs and intentions. If they already have a sense of direction, a portion of the conversation might be spent explaining (in layman’s terms) why triggering a particular OBD-II code does not automatically mean that they should buy part “X,” or deciphering what a customer means when they request “that round box with four wires, next to the square plastic piece under the left fender.”
Within the context of a popular subreddit (r/explainlikeimfive), we can convey fairly complex technical ideas without anyone feeling lost or talked down to. By avoiding jargon or acronyms, our language becomes more accessible for the uninitiated. Comparisons to everyday situations allow for us to find common ground in a discussion. The use of photos, diagrams, descriptive words and even sounds can make “the big picture” come into focus more sharply for nearly anyone. Once we discover a common language, our common purpose is suddenly much clearer!
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By Counterman
On the surface, the primary role of a parts professional is to help our customers identify and select the parts, supplies and services needed to complete a multitude of repairs. However, there are many other duties beyond simple cataloging exercises which separate a true parts professional from a key-punching cashier at the grocery checkout lane. Too often, the general public sees us as simple clerks, but when is the last time you asked a cashier at the register how to perfectly sear that ribeye you just paid for?
Our customer base may vary from store to store, but many of us deal with an eclectic mix of clientele each day. These patrons also come with varying levels of technical knowledge or abilities. For most of our commercial customers, we are already a trusted partner. Technicians have usually diagnosed and estimated the labor for a repair job before requesting our expertise, but still lean on their “go-to” parts specialist to get the correct components quoted correctly and delivered to them quickly. These customers “speak our language,” and we are expected to speak theirs, as well.
When it comes to the “decidedly DIY” segment of our business, many of the conversations we have can feel like more of a struggle. Often through no fault of their own, this portion of our population finds themselves tackling unfamiliar repair situations, or attempting to navigate diagnostic recommendations or repair instructions that seem to be written in a completely different language. Our daily interactions with repair professionals and coworkers, as well as our own life experiences, have helped us all to build a knowledge base which serves as one of the main reasons our individual services are in demand to begin with.
The average consumer views most auto parts as a commodity, so many of our widgets are “all the same” to them. As “car people,” we already know the differences between our products, which ones to recommend, and what we can reasonably expect from them. Even if we don’t physically install components or repair vehicles, we often have a pretty good sense of what it takes to perform the task required, and what else may need to be removed and replaced along the way to the goal of installing the parts we’re handing across the counter.
When dealing with a “less-technical” parts buyer, we must be prepared to spend a little more time at the counter or on the telephone. Drawing out all of the relevant information (and filtering out the irrelevant) is often the first step in determining the customer’s needs and intentions. If they already have a sense of direction, a portion of the conversation might be spent explaining (in layman’s terms) why triggering a particular OBD-II code does not automatically mean that they should buy part “X,” or deciphering what a customer means when they request “that round box with four wires, next to the square plastic piece under the left fender.”
Within the context of a popular subreddit (r/explainlikeimfive), we can convey fairly complex technical ideas without anyone feeling lost or talked down to. By avoiding jargon or acronyms, our language becomes more accessible for the uninitiated. Comparisons to everyday situations allow for us to find common ground in a discussion. The use of photos, diagrams, descriptive words and even sounds can make “the big picture” come into focus more sharply for nearly anyone. Once we discover a common language, our common purpose is suddenly much clearer!
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