R. L. Polk & Co. Announces Winners of Inventory Efficiency Awards

O'Reilly Auto Parts and Federal-Mogul Corporation honored

CHICAGO, May 11 -- R. L. Polk & Co., the automotive aftermarket's source of automotive information, presented the first-ever Polk Inventory Efficiency Awards today during the 2005 Global Automotive Aftermarket Symposium (GAAS) held at the Hyatt Regency O'Hare. The Polk Inventory Efficiency Award recognizes and rewards outstanding aftermarket companies for process improvements relative to inventory efficiency.

Awards were presented for excellence in two categories: Retail and Manufacturer. In the Retail category, O'Reilly Auto Parts, based in Springfield, Mo., was recognized for their achievements. Mike Swearingen, senior vice president of Merchandise accepted the award on the company's behalf.

In the Manufacturer category, Southfield, Mich.-based Federal-Mogul Corporation captured the honors. The award was accepted by Jay Burkhart, vice president of Global Marketing.

"It's an honor to present the first Polk Aftermarket Inventory Efficiency Awards to O'Reilly and Federal-Mogul. The Award is about more than just rewarding industry-leading inventory management," said Mike Gingell, vice president of Strategic Markets at Polk. "It's about driving best practices and harboring a spirit of collaboration within the industry. Both companies should be applauded."

Gingell presented the awards along with Stephen Polk, chairman, president and CEO and Joe Adrid, account director, Polk Aftermarket Solutions.

About R. L. Polk & Co.

R. L. Polk & Co. is the premier provider of automotive information and marketing solutions. Polk collects and interprets global data, and provides extensive automotive business expertise to help customers understand their market position, identify trends, build brand loyalty, conquest new business and gain a competitive advantage. Polk helps automotive manufacturers and dealers, automotive aftermarket companies, finance and insurance companies, advertising agencies, consulting organizations, government agencies and market research firms make good business decisions. A privately held global firm, Polk is based in Southfield, Mich. with operations in Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States. For more information, please visit http://www.polk.com/ .