April 28, 2021
By Julie Murphy, Chief People Officer, Walmart U.S. and Christopher Shryock, Chief People Officer, Sam’s Club
Coming to work at a Walmart store, Sam’s Club, Walmart distribution or fulfillment center is about more than just having a job – it’s about building a career. We’re focused on providing a ladder of opportunity, so people can build a career at Walmart, no matter where they start.
Like everything at Walmart, careers are evolving rapidly and on a big scale, which means new growth opportunities in roles that might not have existed just a few years ago. In fact, between our stores, clubs, distribution and fulfillment centers, more than 500 U.S. associates, on average, are promoted every day in our company. That’s more than 500 associates daily who are growing their skillsets, developing their careers and building their dreams.
Our goal every day is to make sure our more than 1.6 million U.S. associates, and anyone thinking about joining our company, know there is plenty of room to work hard, move up and build a lasting career in a job they love.
Here are a few recent examples from our teams at Walmart and Sam’s Club.
NaToya Champion: When NaToya was a store manager at Store 6807 in Memphis, Tennessee, she guided her associates through a difficult year, adapting throughout the pandemic, as well as political and civil unrest. NaToya may be best known for her message of optimism – she started a movement last year to encourage associates across the country to join her in wearing yellow as a sign of hope. We’re pleased to share NaToya is promoted to developmental market manager and is preparing to lead a group of stores.
Shawn Sullivan: Shawn Sullivan’s career with Walmart began in 2013 in Mill Hall, Pennsylvania. He started as a customer service manager and was hooked from the moment he realized just how many options there are to move up in the company. And move up he did. Shawn became a zone manager, then an assistant manager and most recently a store lead, until Market Manager Joshua Woodward showed up in Shawn’s Supercenter to surprise him with the news he’d been promoted to store manager. It made sense that Joshua should break the news to Shawn – their careers share similar successes.
Joshua began as an hourly asset protection associate in Philadelphia, himself. Walmart careers are a family affair for Joshua. Fun fact: his brother was recently promoted to be a store manager in Minnesota!
Audrey Williamson: Audrey joined Walmart in 2017 as a pharmacy sales associate in Henderson, Nevada. As she learned about her store, she developed an interest in grocery pickup and had the opportunity to pursue that interest, helping launch the service in her store. That was where she met an assistant manager who believed in her, supported her and helped her realize the positive impact she was making. Audrey’s current managers have seen her potential, too, and she was recently promoted to digital assistant store manager, where she will oversee a team of about 50 associates handling pickup and delivery.
Kaylie McMonagle: Kaylie joined Sam’s Club in 2014 as a summer intern while she pursued her bachelor’s degree in management. She always envisioned herself working in a human resources office job, but after a few weeks in her internship, she had the chance to enroll in the manager-in-training program and grew to be a member services manager. From there, she explored different parts of the club, gaining experience and building relationships. The more she learned, the more convinced she was she’d build a career at Sam’s Club. With that in mind, Kaylie set a goal to work her way up to club manager – a goal she achieved this month when she started as the club manager of Club 4738 in Eagan, Minnesota.
Everyone’s Walmart journey is unique, but they have a common thread: the ladder of opportunity is open to anyone who wants to build a career. At Walmart, our culture is rooted in developing associates to be the leaders of tomorrow. As our business continues to grow and evolve, one thing is certain – our associates are the heartbeat of our company, and their growth is our growth.
