Overheard

In December, officials with law firms Husch & Eppenberger LLC and Blackwell Sanders LLP approved a merger. On Jan. 3, officials announced the merged firm’s new name: Husch Blackwell Sanders LLP.

“The firm name was decided by the flip of a coin, because we felt that in a true merger of equals this was the most fair way to determine the new name,” said Joseph P. Conran, co-chairman of the new firm and former Husch chairman, in a news release.

Together, the two have 630 attorneys in offices in 13 cities, including Springfield, Kansas City and St. Louis.

The merger should be finalized this month.

O’Reilly posts growth

Fourth-quarter comparable store sales were up for O’Reilly Automotive Inc. but fell short of the retailer’s expectations for the holiday shopping season.

The Springfield-based company reported after market close Jan. 9 that comparable store sales – for stores open at least one year – for the quarter ended Dec. 31 were up 2.1 percent, compared to O’Reilly’s 4 percent to 6 percent guidance for that segment. Comparable store sales also increased 2.1 percent in fourth-quarter 2006. Comparable store sales increased 3.7 percent in 2007, compared to a 3.3 percent increase in 2006. Guidance for the year had been positioned between 4 percent and 4.5 percent.

O’Reilly hit its target to open 190 stores for the year, and according to a company news release, O’Reilly aims to open 205 stores this year. Full fourth-quarter earnings are scheduled to be released Feb. 19.

O’Reilly shares (Nasdaq: ORLY) closed Jan. 9 at $27.05, with a 52-week range of $26.14 to $38.84.

Bass Pro nears Pyramid deal

A close friend of Bass Pro Shops founder Johnny Morris has told a Memphis newspaper that the Springfield-based retailer is on pace to meet a Jan. 31 target date to commit to a deal in the Memphis Pyramid.

Memphis Commercial Appeal reported Jan. 9 that professional fisherman Bill Dance and city officials expect Bass Pro to complete due diligence and reach a binding agreement by the end of the month for its plans to put one of its signature stores in the Pyramid, a stainless steel arena that previously housed the Memphis Grizzlies basketball team and has been vacant since 2004. When the project was first announced in February 2006, Bass Pro proposed to rent the Pyramid for as much as $1 million a year and invest another $75 million to $100 million to transform it into a store. The project’s magnitude has been the cause for the delays, according to the Commercial Appeal’s report; officials now expect Bass Pro to commit soon because of other developers looking to take on the venue.

Slice of Nice

The American Red Cross is seeking financial support for its disaster relief efforts, including helping those affected by the Jan. 7–8 storms and tornadoes. The Red Cross provides shelters, meals, first aid and other assistance to those affected by disasters. Donations to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund can be sent locally to 1545 N. West Bypass, Springfield MO 65803, or made online at www.redcross.org.