From highways to airports, from homes to banks, from dining to the arts, the Wal-Mart presence is felt mightily in the Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers Metropolitan Statistical Area anchored by the three cities plus Wal-Mart’s home in Bentonville. 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 >

Because Wal-Mart is a master of logistics it got those items and more to the victims of Hurricane Katrina, one of the worst natural disasters ever to hit this country. And Wal-Mart got those goods to the people of the devastated Gulf Coast faster than did the government of the United States. read more >

As recently as 50 years ago, downtown was still America’s commercial center. A variety of factors moved the center to orbital suburbia. One of those factors was Wal-Mart. read more >

How do modern mom-and-pop shops compete with Wal-Mart? Simple: They don’t. They find a niche, some foothold outside the behemoth’s path. 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 >

The Walton International Scholarship Program is an Arkansas-specific program available to South American students. Participants get a full ride, paid for entirely by the program, to either Harding in Searcy, John Brown University in Siloam Springs or the University of the Ozarks in Clarksville. Sam Walton himself started it 26 years ago. 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 >

In 2005 Wal-Mart launched its sustainability program, designed to encourage corporate environmental responsibility. In attempting to take leadership on the issue and drive the global conversation, Wal-Mart established three broad goals: to be supplied 100 percent by renewable energy, create zero waste and to sell products that sustain people and the environment. 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 >

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 >