APRIL 8-14, 2024 30 · SBJ.NET NEWS mean that initiative is going to be our main focus five years down the road,” she said. Danastasio declined to name the initial members of LORE, or even the number of members. She said there will be different levels of membership. “That’s where the number gets a little bit tricky,” she said. Development specialist Ted Abernathy of Economic Leadership LLC was consulted about the formation of LORE, and he suggested 8-10 members at the board level. Those members would make a $25,000 commitment for a period of three years. Danastasio said a lot of people have approached her and Thompson, at the Think Summit event and elsewhere, to ask to be involved, and other levels of involvement will be available. Initially, the group will not have an office, Danastasio said, but will work out of either the offices of Community Foundation of the Ozarks Inc. or the Hatch Foundation – the two organizations that joined forces to kick off the project – and Thompson has agreed to stay involved in the project. “It’s really great, because as we get new members coming together and starting the conversation, we don’t have to worry about hiring an executive director,” she said. “That’s such a big blessing for any organization. The funds we’re collecting can be put toward projects specifically.” Danastasio said the names of board members will be announced in May or June. SBJ did manage to suss out one business leader who will serve in the group: Kevin Ausburn, CEO of SMC Packaging Group, who mentioned in a March interview that he had been tapped for it. “I’m excited,” Ausburn said at the time, noting he was already mulling over the sort of regional issues the group would address. LORE is patterned after a similar organization, the Northwest Arkansas Council, which has shaped its region’s development for more than three decades from its home base in Springdale, Arkansas. That organization has a 13-member executive committee and 18 staffers. LORE’s website announces the name, emblazoned over a photo of rolling Ozark hills, with the tagline “Writing the Future of Our Region.” An explanation of the organization states, “LORE, Leaders for Ozarks Region Evolvement, is uniting efforts aimed at improving quality of life and attracting a skilled workforce in the broader Springfield region. LORE aims to catalyze transformative change over the next 20 years, effectively writing the future for our community.” A link to a community survey rounds out the page. The survey asks about the region’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats while also seeking to identify names of leaders who are equipped to help lead transformation. Additionally, the survey asks for a list of three actions that could transform the region, plus the worst things people could do to impact the region’s future. “Some people are going to have the impression that we’re only trying to collaborate or get input from the big players at the CEO level, but really, that’s not true – our goal is to be able to pull in opinions and information from everyone throughout the region,” Danastasio said. LORE aims to convene members from a 10-county area that already have a working relationship through their membership in the Southwest Missouri Council of Governments. They are Greene, Barry, Christian, Dade, Dallas, Lawrence, Polk, Stone, Taney and Webster counties. “When we were picking the name, we didn’t want it to say Springfield,” Danastasio said. “A lot of times you hear Springfield, and some of those smaller cities get frustrated. They don’t feel like they’re really part of the team.” Members, too, will come from throughout the region and not just the Queen City, she said. • LORE: Organization will have membership levels Continued from page 3 O’Reilly Auto’s top execs make $17M in combined compensation by SBJ Staff · sbj@sbj.net The top seven executives at O’Reilly Automotive Inc. (Nasdaq: ORLY) had combined total compensation of $17 million during 2023, according to the company’s latest proxy filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Three of the top officers had total compensation increases in 2023, while three saw decreases, according to the March 29 SEC filing. One of the executives joined the company in 2023, so prior-year totals were unavailable. O’Reilly Automotive’s top executives, by 2023 total compensation reported in the proxy filing, are below. • Greg Johnson, CEO, $5.6 million, up 2.3%. • Brad Beckham, co-president, $2.9 million, down 8%. • Brent Kirby, co-president, $2.9 million, down 7.4%. • Jeremy Fletcher, executive vice president and chief financial officer, $1.8 million, down 25.1%. • Scott Ross, executive vice president and chief information officer, $1.5 million. • Greg Henslee, executive chair of the board, $1.3 million, up 3%. • David O’Reilly, executive vice chair of the board, $1.1 million, up 3.1%. Beckham was promoted to CEO early this year upon the retirement of Johnson, according to past reporting. At that time, Kirby became sole president. During 2023, O’Reilly Automotive’s sales exceeded $15 billion for the first time, according to past reporting. • 2024 PRESENTED BY SURVEY Let’s Talk About Growth. Take SBJ’s 6th annual Economic Growth Survey! This survey helps generate key insights to drive strategic decision making in our community. Ready to get started? The survey should take about 20 minutes to complete. Have your company’s financial and workforce information ready. Share with other local business leaders.
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