2013 Business Class Honoree: O'Reilly Hospitality Management LLC

In 2007, the recession was just a blip on the radar for most. It was also the year that attorney Tim O’Reilly purchased the Hilton Doubletree hotel in north Springfield and formed O’Reilly Hospitality Management LLC. While many other industries have spent the last six years mired in the economic doldrums, OHM has consistently added properties to its portfolio, building a collection of nine hotels and eateries which now span three states. The company carries a conservatively estimated property value of $100 million and employs 433.

“It was fortuitous timing in this industry,” CEO O’Reilly says. “We came in at a time where we were able to build and renovate. There are significant barriers to ownership, so being the newest or most-recently renovated in most of our markets is a great advantage. You combine that with really good people, and we’ve been able to do pretty well.”

With three-year revenue growth of 35 percent and profit growth of more than double that, few would argue O’Reilly’s assessment.

OHM has engineered a standard that has consistently landed their original Doubletree location amongst the chain’s top customer service performers and last year the Hilton Garden Inn on Republic Road ranked 16th worldwide.

In 2011, OHM grew from outside experience to post a revenue gain of nearly 50 percent, as John Q. Hammons’ 2010 retirement from management duties spurred the migration of several employees, including Scott Tarwater, Steve Minton and David Horst. The group of new executives brought with them experience that included management of 80 hotels and convention centers, $2.6 billion in project value and more than 17,000 hotel rooms in half of the United States.

“It’s a proximity thing, really. Locally it’s hard to hire people that haven’t worked for John Q. at some point,” O’Reilly says. “Obviously the skills sets match, and they bring a selfless, hardworking dynamic that’s had a dramatic impact for us.”  

In conjunction with such experience and talent, OHM draws on the heritage of O’Reilly’s philanthropic family. Playing on what he calls “the natural tendencies of a great group of people,” the company remains committed to making a difference within its home communities.

Expansion of properties is ongoing, with the March 2013 purchase of the 74-unit TownPlace Suites by Marriott in Joplin and a two-hotel deal with Choice Hotels for locations in Plano, Texas, and Desert Ridge, Ariz. But despite big acquisitions and headlines, O’Reilly attributes much of the success to his company’s culture.

“Life’s short and business is important,” he says, “But I think everyone gets much more satisfaction from putting a gift in a child’s hands or helping someone in need. It’s great to see us take so much pride in that part of it.”[[In-content Ad]]