In preparation for the IPO, a hodge-podge of ownership interests in different stores was consolidated under one corporate banner: Wal-Mart Stores Inc. The corporation represented the merger of 78 partners that owned pieces of 32 stores, with the Walton family owning a majority stake in each. The stores also were a mixed bag of Wal-Mart Discount City, Ben Franklin, Walton’s Family Center and Ben Franklin Family Center. read more >

Wal-Mart made a number of Arkansans very rich, and that wealth has been manifested in billions of dollars worth of gifts to educational, medical and cultural institutions in the state. read more >

The man who wrote the book on Wal-Mart says former Wal-Mart CEO Lee Scott brought Sam Walton’s mid-20th century idea into the 21st century read more >

Ron Mayer was Wal-Mart’s chairman and CEO from 1974 to 1976. And although founder Sam Walton had served previously as de facto CEO, Mayer was the first to hold the title. Mayer, now 77, worked for Wal-Mart from July 1, 1969, to June 30, 1976. read more >

In its relentless pursuit of low consumer prices, Wal-Mart embraced technology to become an innovator in the way stores track inventory and restock their shelves, cutting costs and passing the savings along to customers. In the process the company became synonymous with the concept of successful supply chain management. read more >

Some put the blame of stagnant domestic same-store sales on Wal-Mart’s management team, saying it has drifted away from Walton’s essential philosophy of offering the lowest price. read more >

Wal-Mart's corporate culture has kept alive Sam Walton's style of frugality. read more >

Shewmaker had a love of systems and organization that Walmart needed. He committed to spending millions on satellite communications so that the general office in Bentonville, the distribution centers and the stores could quickly send data back and forth. By the end of that day, Walmart was on its way to having a communications system that would deliver information about inventory and sales in what in those days was the blink of an eye. This initiative set Walmart up for decades of skyrocketing growth. read more >

Part of the dynamic growth Bentonville has experienced over the past decade revolves around downtown revitalization. Many new businesses have opened around the downtown square. That emphasis on keeping downtown vibrant as the city grows has earned it recognition as a 2011 Arkansas Business City of Distinction in the category of Main Street Preservation. read more >

A group of entrepreneurial visionaries — Sam Walton, J.B. Hunt, Don Tyson, John Cooper and others — laid the groundwork for an economic explosion that would eventually reverberate through the entire financial world. Part of Arkansas Business' 20th anniversary issue. read more >

Whether the Wal-Mart phenomenon could have developed anywhere else is an unanswerable question. But the reason why it happened is simple: Back in 1950, Sam Walton thought Bentonville would be a good place to raise a family and operate a business. (Part of Arkansas Business' 20th anniversary issue.) read more >