The O’Reilly clan stake their claims in Martin City

Pat O’Reilly stands on the property where he will build The Madison, a senior living facility west of 150 Hwy and Wyandotte St. Premier Mazda, seen in the background, sits east of the site. Mercedes-Benz is immediately north. 

The O’Reillys descend on Martin City

An auto parts store and a senior living facility to open in Martin City in 2019

By Kathy Feist and Jill Draper

In 1849, Michael Byrne O’Reilly escaped the Great Potato Famine in Ireland and immigrated to the United States. Now almost 170 years later, the O’Reilly clan is finally making its way to Martin City during its most important event: the St. Patrick’s Day Parade.

Pat O’Reilly, a real estate investor, recently announced his company O’Reilly Development LLC, will build a senior living facility and memory care off 150 Hwy and Wyandotte Rd (south of the Mercedes-Benz dealership).

His great grandfather’s company, O’Reilly Auto Parts, headquartered out of Springfield, MO, announced earlier last summer it will construct a store on Holmes Rd. in Martin City.

Both entities claim it is pure coincidence. But for Martin City it’s the luck of the Irish.

The O’Reilly Story

In 1957, after selling auto parts for other companies, Michael’s son Charles F. O’Reilly and grandson, Charles H. O’Reilly (Chubb), started their own auto parts store in Springfield, MO. The following year, the company had drummed up $700,000 in business. The O’Reillys had found their pot of gold. In 1993, the family company’s stock went public. Since then, over 5000 auto parts stores have been built in 47 different states. 

The Martin City store will eventually add to that number, according to Mark Merz, a spokesman for O’Reilly Auto Parts. But not until 2019 when it will break ground on a plot adjacent to QuikTrip.

Pat O’Reilly

Pat O’Reilly grew up in the family business with his father Charlie H. O’Reilly II. He became vice president of distribution, which included overseeing the development of distribution centers around the country. That job led to his interest in the real estate business. In 2003 he left O’Reilly Auto Parts to start his own real estate development company, which builds senior living facilities and multi-family housing.

Currently, O’Reilly is making the rounds at community meetings sharing plans for the senior living facility. This project, called The Madison, will be O’Reilly’s eighth senior living facility, all located in Missouri.

The Madison

The Madison will sit on 10 acres and will hold 90 independent living apartments, 44 assisted living apartments and 16 memory care rooms. He will be completing the project in late 2019, about the same time as the auto parts store.  Construction should begin this summer.

The communities are for adults 55 and older. Amenities include up to three daily meals plus snacks from a 24-hour kitchen. “All day dining, with great dining services and fresh food, is an incredibly important aspect of a senior community,” says O’Reilly, “and one we do very well.”

Other amenities include a salon, therapeutic pool, fitness center, outdoor courtyard and a commons area with a movie room and a men’s game room. Floor plans range from two bedrooms to studios. The Madison will meet a need in southwest Kansas City for a moderately priced senior living campus.

The Madison is being designed by Stark Wilson Duncan Architects Inc. It will be managed by Arrow Senior Living, which O’Reilly credits with the success of his senior facilities.

The development should create approximately 65 new jobs at an average hourly pay rate of $18, including highly skilled and licensed staff.

“I drink to your health when I’m with you. I drink to your health when I’m alone. I’ve drank to your health so much lately that I’ve damn near ruined my own.” – Chub O’Reilly’s favorite Irish toast

Home

While O’Reilly calls Loch Lloyd his home, it’s Ireland that keeps calling his name. “I feel strong ties to Ireland,” says O’Reilly has visited his ancestral home 10 times.  “I just feel a bond with the Irish.” Someday he would like to be there to experience a St. Patrick’s Day parade. “It’s on my bucket list,” he says. “But Martin City’s parade is a close second or third!”