Overheard

O’Reilly Automotive CEO Greg Henslee’s golf handicap is seven, good for No. 28 on Golf Digest’s Top 200 CEO Golfers. That’s right – ahead of CEOs at Dick’s Sporting Goods, UPS, Dollar General, Cintas and Dillard’s. James R. Crane of Eagle Global Logistics was No. 1 with a 0.8 handicap. The ranking is based on handicap ratings of CEOs among Fortune 1,000 companies.

When SBJ asked Henslee about it, he said it was incorrect; his handicap is closer to 11, he said. That still ranks him in the top 50 and just above the Top 200’s average handicap of 10.7.

Heavy Lifting

The Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in Springfield made national news recently when the bronze bust of former Kansas City Royals third baseman George Brett was stolen and discovered days later in a box along a Camdenton highway. The Associated Press ran the story and Sports Illustrated, ESPN and MSNBC picked it up on the Web; Hall of Fame operations director Marty Willadsen was quoted. The bust, recovered Sept. 29, is valued at between $10,000 and $15,000.

What’s $1M Worth?

For Prime Inc. owner Robert Low, $1 million means getting his trucking company’s name on JQH Arena’s private seating club. Low and his wife, Lawana, donated the million to Missouri State University’s new arena in exchange for the naming rights. The 4,500-square-foot club will be named Prime Overtime, and memberships will be sold. Ground-breaking for the $67 million, 11,000-seat arena, located east of Hammons Student Center, is scheduled for December, with completion targeted for November 2008.

Columnist, CNN Anchor Share Stage

SBJ columnist and relationship development expert Marlene Chism is speaking at the second annual Today’s Woman national conference Oct. 12 in Evansville, Ind., where CNN anchor Soledad O’Brien will deliver the keynote address.

Chism teaches business professionals how to improve productivity by identifying office “drama” that contributes to absenteeism, turnover and low morale. “At-work drama is visible in the form of power struggles, conflict, backstabbing, gossiping, internal conflict and a poor communication climate,” Chism says. Read Chism’s “Authentic Power” column on page 29.

South-side Robbery, Shooting

A suspect was taken into custody Sept. 29 after allegedly robbing Lawrence Drug store, 1454 E. Republic Road, at gunpoint and leaving with an undisclosed amount of prescription medication. The white male suspect entered the store at about 1 p.m., displayed a handgun and demanded medication. The pharmacy’s staff complied, and the suspect left in a pharmacy-owned vehicle. Springfield detectives located a man matching the suspect’s description in the area of 3300 S. Walnut Hill Ave. The suspect attempted to flee and placed his hand in a bag he was carrying. A detective fired two defense shots but did not hit the suspect, who surrendered. The Greene County Sheriff’s Department will continue an investigation, and Springfield Police Department will follow up.[[In-content Ad]]