When Jim Bowie started his career in 1975, his real dream was to work on a pirate ship. But selling auto parts was an easier field to get into, so Jim shifted his buccaneer ambitions into being the best brake pad peddler on land.
Fifty years later, Jim’s colleagues confirm he has more than accomplished that goal. “You can’t go one block in Austin, Texas, without meeting somebody who knows him or knows the legend of Jim Bowie,” said Dennis Talley, regional sales director. Team members and customers consider Jim the face of the company, because as O’Reilly Auto Parts has grown in the Austin area, he’s been there consistently, through every change. “Since we opened our first store, and every store we open, we always find a customer who asks about Jim Bowie,” Matt Roberts, strategic accounts manager said.
District Manager Jason Mowers jokes that Jim “came with the building” because the O’Reilly store on Research Boulevard in Austin was originally a Fisher Auto Parts store, a Houston-based chain that Jim was a 25% partner in. Jim stuck around when Fisher was bought out by Hi/LO and again when Hi/LO was acquired by O’Reilly.
The transitions weren’t easy, in the beginning. Jim recalls the challenges of trying to learn a whole new point-of-sale system while also keeping his successful store running. “My first week of changing systems, I put my head on the counter thinking, ‘I will never get this,’” but he persevered, and he credits teamwork and excellent support for bringing his store up to speed.
It’s probably coincidental that the year Jim came aboard was the same year the O’Reilly Culture was formalized, but his long-term team members say that Jim embodies the core values. “When I think of Jim Bowie, I think of the O’Reilly Culture,” said Diego Santillana, vice president of Mexico Store Operations and Sales. “He personifies dedication, honesty, professionalism, respect, and commitment most of all.” Those who have worked with Jim the longest agree that commitment is the O’Reilly Culture value that defines him.
Humility in leadership isn’t an official O’Reilly value, but it could easily be an honorable mention, and Jim would own that one, too. Although he’s spent his career setting records and collecting achievement plaques, Dennis predicted Jim would “very humbly say he’s never been a very good salesman.” Sure enough, when Jim reflects on the success of stores he’s run or served as a territory sales manager, he claims, “they did the heavy lifting, but I was happy to have contributed.”
Throughout his decades with O’Reilly, Jim has trained many Austin-area sales teams and built relationships that still drive business when he’s no longer assigned to the account. “He cultivated a lot of what we have today, and set the foundation for some of our biggest accounts in the area,” Jason said. “Most of which still buy from us, because Jim built that relationship many, many years ago.” Jim claims he couldn’t have made it all these years without help and support from his wife, and that admiration from his brother-in-law, a “legendary parts man,” has kept him motivated.
As much as Jim loves his team members and customers, his real treasure is his family, and everyone who works with him knows it. “Jim sells car parts for a living, and he’s proud of that,” Dennis said. “He has a lot to be proud of, too. But more so, he’s proud of his wife and children, and the life that he’s built.” Jason added, “I admire his dedication to his family and to our company. He is all in with everything he does.”
Dennis suspects that Team O’Reilly may be more reliant on Jim than anyone realizes. “I always joke that the day he leaves, our plants are going to start dying, because Jim was probably there watering them and we didn’t know.” For now, Jim doesn’t have any concrete plans for retiring, although he says his wife certainly has plans for him. After 50 years of building enduring relationships and a shipshape legacy, please join Team O’Reilly in sharing gratitude and congratulations with our Old Salt, Jim Bowie.