Veterans and service members are right at home at Walmart and Sam’s Club — and our company is better for it.
Veterans have always held a special place in Walmart’s workforce. After all, our founder Sam Walton was a veteran who served in the U.S. Army during WWII. The military values he held dear helped to create the international retail success story we know today.
And those principles still influence associates. Veterans, active service members and reservists who work here can tell you: The values that guide the military are much like the values that drive our company — respect for the individual, service to the customer, striving for excellence and acting with integrity.
Just ask Bob Jenkins, who says, “Having military experience has been an important part of my professional development and helps me approach the business with a 'can't fail' mentality.”
Bob left the Navy in 1995 and began working at Walmart the next year as a cashier. Now he’s store manager at Store 3817 in Orlando, Florida, and has this to say about his experience: “Learning how to effectively work with different teams, people from different backgrounds and ideas that come from diverse perspectives is paramount on a U.S. Navy ship. The importance placed on these at Walmart always made my job, whether as a team associate or store manager, seem more familiar and a great fit for me.”
For Jamel Jones, director, Ops & Implementation, Walmart had an influence on both his military and civilian life. “Walmart has always been a part of my story,” he says. Jamel grew up in Benton, Arkansas, with a single mom and three brothers. “We didn’t have a whole lot, so Walmart was important,” he shares.
He remembers a program his local store had, where kids were paired with police officers to shop for Christmas gifts at Walmart. “That has always left a lasting impact on me because people see Walmart as this big corporate company, but I had Christmas because we had a store in Benton.” Jamel notes that “it also helped me see those that serve and protect our communities in a different light.”
Who knew that holiday shopping experience would lead to his future careers in both the Army and as an associate? “Walmart has given me so much perspective as a kid and all the way into my adulthood,” Jamel says.
Leadership through service
Core to our culture is the idea of servant leadership. Sam Walton believed that effective leaders do not lead from behind their desks. “It’s more important than ever that we develop leaders who are servants, who listen to their partners — their associates — in a way that creates wonderful morale to help the whole team accomplish an overall goal,” Sam once said.
You’ll find many examples of this leadership style in our veteran associates. “It’s not about being a harsh leader,” explains Store Manager Aaron Parrott. “You have to truly care about who your people are,” he says. “Bringing that into Walmart and building that into Walmart’s culture, it’s an amazing thing to have that teamwork and that family just like in the military.”
For some associates, Walmart is a place to discover new ways to lead after a military career. That was true for Jerry Fidler after his time in the Army. During a visit to the Walmart Home Office, he was pleasantly surprised to hear very busy leaders ask, “What do you need from me? How can I support you?”
This example of servant leadership inspired Jerry. “Walmart allowed me to see this different part of leadership, and I really love that part,” he says.
Gary Olsen joined the U.S. Reserves when he was 8 years into his career with Walmart. He continues to develop his leadership skills both on the job and on deployment. “People learn differently. So as a leader, you have to adapt how you teach, how you train someone,” Gary explains. “And that’s across the board: Either with the SEALS team, on small arms weapons qualification, or in a central fill pharmacy — in something new to them.”
Excellence and opportunity
The similarity in values is, as Todd Garner says, “hard to ignore.” The SVP and chief product officer at Sam’s explains, “In the Air Force, the core values are integrity first, service before self and excellence in all we do. At Walmart and Sam’s Club, our four guiding principles are service to the customer, respect for the individual, strive for excellence and act with integrity.”
Jeremy England, Marine veteran and Sam’s Club manager, knew nothing about retail when he started. Today, he says the attention to detail he learned in service have helped him succeed at Sam’s.
With these shared guiding principles, veterans are well positioned to grow successful careers here. Dell Fletcher shares, “I have had great leaders, great teams and great opportunities to truly excel."
After 17 years in the Marines and Air National Guard on both active and reserve duty, Dell earned degrees in cybersecurity. He started at Walmart as a cybersecurity engineer in 2020. "One key takeaway is the culture and ability to have mentors who have given me good advice, feedback and great books to read, which have helped with my professional development.”
Our veteran associates also have opportunities to give back in meaningful ways, such as Wreaths Across America. Walmart driver and Navy vet Hal Coleates shares, “It wasn’t until I started working for Walmart and discovered Wreaths Across America that I had a new avenue to give back. I now feel renewed and able to honor our late soldiers. They need to be remembered, and I am thankful to have this opportunity to serve them.”
Growing together
If vets are grateful for the opportunity to grow at Walmart and Sam’s — the feeling is mutual. Catherine Rodriguez shares, “Walmart has been able to help me transition from my military career to a civilian career without interruption. I would recommend it to any veteran looking for a new purpose after military service.”
Jamel sees military service as a calling. “The army brought out in me what I didn’t even know was in me,” he says. When he decided to join Walmart, the question he had was “How do I show up here?” And now, he has an answer. “They welcome the way we show up and it’s helped me see myself in a new context.”
Jamel’s words of wisdom to other veteran associates are, “Whatever made you successful there will make you successful here. You just gotta show up and do exactly what you’ve been doing and be exactly who you need to be.”
“Walmart offers so much to our veterans with respect and honor. Three stores later I still wear a veteran-badge backer with pride. Thank you, Walmart, for believing in veterans,” says Jeff Goode.
