Lemonte Spencer did not have to travel too far outside his regular mileage or comfort zone when he took his new position as manager of the O’Reilly’s Auto Parts store in Morton.
Spencer previously worked at Farm N’ Fleet during two stints which lasted a total of 15 years.
Farm N’ Fleet sits almost directly across the street from O’Reilly’s.
O’Reilly’s opened its new 6,000-square-foot store on 131 Detroit Ave. just a little over a month ago and celebrated its grand opening Monday with food and prizes for the public.
Spencer said the company has been in business for more than 50 years and has a focus on the Midwest for its 1,300 locations, with stores already open in Peoria, East Peoria, Chillicothe, Bartonville and Pekin.
“We have close to $1 million worth of inventory inside this store alone. I think it surprised people how much we have here,” Spencer said.
Some of O’Reilly’s services include fluid and battery recycling, battery testing, electrical and module testing, drum/rotor resurfacing, custom hydraulic hoses and a one-time use loaner tool program.
In addition to the auto parts store stocking its shelves with a variety of valves, lighting, filters, gauges and fluids for the vehicle, it also has a machine shop and a specialized machine shop and professional paint and mixing shop.
During his last two-year tenure at Farm N’ Fleet, Spencer managed the auto shop.
While Spencer said he welcomed the opportunity to be “inside the store” again as management, his wife is also originally from Morton, and he thinks he might put down permanent roots in the village this time around.
“We’re living in Peoria now, but I really want us to move over here for good eventually. I like the schools here better, too,” Spencer said.
Spencer said plans for the O’Reilly’s Morton location took about a year to finalize and called for the store originally to be built near the Marathon gas station on North Morton Avenue and Route 98.
It was scheduled to open last March.
Spencer added the final chosen location was a perfect fit, and he is glad the extra time was spent on the project, because Detroit Avenue is a high-traffic area and several other businesses are expanding or moving in nearby.
“We hear that Walgreen’s is coming in right next to us there on the corner of Detroit and Jefferson. That would only help with our visibility and getting people to come through the doors,” Spencer said.
