Gold Eagle, Lubrication Specialties Inc. Join Forces In Merger
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By OReilly Auto Parts
SPRINGFIELD, Mo., April 29, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- O’Reilly Automotive, Inc. (the “Company” or “O’Reilly”) (Nasdaq: ORLY), a leading retailer in the automotive aftermarket industry, today announced record revenue and earnings for its first quarter ended March 31, 2026.
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By Counterman
Don Bickle Jr. and Tim Bickle, owners of Hays, Kansas-based Warehouse Inc. and its network of S&W Supply stores, announced they have partnered with
link hidden, please login to view, a third-generation, family-owned auto parts distributor based in St. Cloud, Minnesota. APH supports more than 300 locations across the Midwest. Corporate locations rebranded as S&W Supply Auto Value
Warehouse Inc.’s nine corporate locations will be rebranded as S&W Supply Auto Value, as part of the transition. Following the transition, Don Jr. and Tim Bickle will remain involved as senior advisors, and Ryan Bickle, vice president of sales, will continue in a leadership role.
Roots date to 1934
S&W Supply’s roots date to 1934, when Claude Sutter and Don Wells founded the company during the Great Depression. What began as a small automotive parts operation grew steadily, with Don and Lyle (Bickle) Wells helping expand the business and relocate it to Hays, where it remains today.
In 1966, Warehouse Inc. was established to support wholesale distribution across western Kansas. Today, the company serves customers in automotive, heavy-duty, industrial, agricultural and oilfield markets.
Commitment to people, service and long-term growth
The decision to partner with APH reflects a shared commitment to people, service and long-term growth.
“Family and service have always been at the heart of S&W Supply,” Don Jr. said. “Joining the
link hidden, please login to view family ensures our employees and customers will continue to be supported while expanding our reach and capabilities for the future.” Tim Bickle said, “Joining APH gives us the opportunity to strengthen our operations and expand the services we offer to our customers. With their resources and support, we can innovate more quickly, streamline processes, and continue building on the foundation our family established more than 90 years ago.”
“APH was a natural partner,” Ryan Bickle said. “They share our values and our approach to growth – investing in people, maintaining a strong culture and staying focused on the customer.”
Strategic expansion and longstanding relationship
For APH, the partnership represents both a strategic expansion and the continuation of a longstanding relationship.
“We are honored that Don and Tim chose to join the APH family,” said Corey Bartlett, CEO and owner of APH. “S&W Supply and Warehouse Inc. share our customer-first mindset and commitment to service, making this a strong fit as we grow into new markets. We’re excited to welcome their team and build on the impressive business they’ve created.”
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By OReilly Auto Parts
SPRINGFIELD, Mo., April 01, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- O’Reilly Automotive, Inc. (the “Company” or “O’Reilly”) (Nasdaq: ORLY), a leading retailer in the automotive aftermarket industry, announces the release date for its first quarter 2026 results as Wednesday, April 29, 2026, with a conference call to follow on Thursday, April 30, 2026.
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By Counterman
Valvoline Inc. announced a partnership with Blue Grass Community Foundation to launch the Valvoline Inc. Happy to Help Fund. The fund will provide financial support for new projects or existing programs that focus on the mental and physical well-being of children and youth.
Partnership with Blue Grass Community Foundation
The Happy to Help Fund will serve as Valvoline Inc.’s primary way to distribute corporate charitable dollars in its hometown of Lexington, Kentucky.
link hidden, please login to viewsaid it recognizes the critical need to support children and youth who face challenges including the impacts of poverty, food insecurity, homelessness, community violence, trauma, and adverse childhood experiences. “We’re pleased to launch the Happy to Help Fund. As a proud Lexington, Ky.-based company, we are committed to supporting our community. We recognize that many young people are facing challenges with their mental health and overall well-being,” said Lori Flees, president and CEO, Valvoline Inc. “This fund is a meaningful step toward investing in Lexington’s future and providing crucial support to local families and organizations.”
Happy to Help community impact and charitable giving program
The Happy to Help initiative has funded a new family respite lounge within the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at Golisano Children’s Hospital. It also provided suicide intervention training to 53 clinicians with KVC Behavioral Healthcare, Kentucky and donated $100,000 to Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals to fund mental health grants supporting pediatric patients across the country.
“With this grant, we’re looking to empower local organizations that are doing meaningful work to nurture both the mental and physical health of our community’s children and teens,” said Lisa Adkins, president and CEO, Blue Grass Community Foundation. “Valvoline Inc.’s support helps create opportunities for children and youth to thrive, especially those facing the toughest challenges.”
Interested applicants can learn more on
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By Counterman
The majority of our everyday sales come directly from our in-stock inventories. Our customers have an expectation that the parts and products they require for a wide variety of vehicle repairs will be waiting for them when they call or stop into our store locations. Inventory is our most valuable physical asset aside from storefront real estate, but it is the investment that arguably has the most direct effect on success.
The harsh reality is that no inventory, no matter how carefully curated, can fulfill every customer’s needs on every visit. We can blame the proliferation of parts categories or the complexities of today’s repair environment, even attribute it to the number of vehicle brands for which we provide coverage, but today’s inventory programs must provide a breadth of offerings unlike anything we’ve supplied before. Special orders are a necessity in today’s marketplace, and effectively handling this portion of our business is critical for our success.
Special orders come in many forms, from a simple out-of-stock situation that requires immediate fulfillment, to a request for a rare or hard-to-find component that may take an extensive search to source. For a warehouse-class mover, we will likely only need to place an order from our distribution center and wait for the next regularly-scheduled delivery window. These same-day and next-day orders still count as special orders, but aren’t the ones that really set us apart from the competition.
Finding “needles in haystacks” is where our special order skills are the most in-demand. Connecting a customer with a hard-to-find part often requires us to work outside of our usual warehousing system, which comes with its own set of unique challenges. When we work within our own familiar system, we usually know how long of a lead time to expect, what return and core policies may be in effect, and have an established framework for tracking and billing these items. Having a network of secondary or “one-off” vendors can complicate matters, but is critical for fulfilling many of the more “oddball” customer requests.
Setting clear expectations when providing “outside-the-box” solutions is essential to keeping customers (and your accounting department) satisfied. When we choose to offer an “outside part,” we assume some level of responsibility for that item in terms of warranty or suitability, and we must be able to follow-up if something goes wrong, sometimes at our own expense. Establish clear guidelines for how you’re willing to compensate your customer in the event that a special order is defective, damaged, or no longer needed. Your “occasional” vendors may have different terms from your primary suppliers, so be sure that a promise made can be a promise kept!
When it comes to billing special order parts, it is important to figure all associated costs when arriving at the final resale price. The purchase price of the item, any core charges, shipping fees (including costs associated with return shipment of cores) and even handling charges all contribute to the final cost, and need to be considered when calculating the resale value. Prepayment in full will help prevent abandoned orders and protect your bottom line, but does require you to calculate your total cost before completing the transaction. A best practice is to invoice the part separately from the charges involved in getting it to you. If you are forced to take the part back later, those separate “acquisition charges” aren’t automatically forfeited.
Considering that most special order policies offer limited or no refundability, it is doubly important that we get things right the first time! Your customer understands that you are going “above and beyond” to assist them in their search for the perfect product, but their appreciation for your efforts quickly disappears if the results don’t match the expectations which you have set.
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