Walmart’s Soderquist to speak at National Hardware Show

-- Casual Living, 4/9/2010 9:04:00 AM

Donald G. Soderquist, former senior vice chairman of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., will deliver a keynote address at the 2010 National Hardware Show to be held May 4-6 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

Soderquist

Soderquist, the driving force behind Walmart’s rise to greatness, will speak about “Ethical Leadership; Imagine the Possible; The Impact of Culture on Success” on May 5 at 9:30 a.m. at the National Retail Hardware Association Stage and Industry Summit in the Central Hall Lobby.
 
“Don is a long-time industry leader, and his name kept coming up as we talked to the industry about who they would like to hear as a keynote speaker,” said Ed Several, National Hardware Show Event Director. “We're grateful that he is able to join us and share his insights and successes with the greater home improvement community.”
 
This marks the 65th anniversary of the National Hardware Show, which is completely sold out of exhibit space to manufacturers from the Home Improvement, Lawn & Garden/Outdoor Living, Tailgating and other key industries.
 
The list of attendees promises to be one of the strongest line-up of buyers, representing not only traditional retail and wholesale outlets but untraditional channels like grocery, mass, drug, catalog, Internet and international retailers. This includes industry giants like Home Depot, Walmart, Sears, True Value, Costco, Sam’s Club, Ace Hardware and many more representing more than $210 billion in sales revenue. Attendance overall is up more than 1% over last year -- quite a feat in a challenging economy.

Soderquist joined Walmart in 1980 as executive vice president and was later promoted to vice chairman and chief operating officer before ultimately becoming senior vice chairman. In his address, he will speak about continuing the legacy of Sam Walton as “keeper of the culture,” and his firm belief that business ethics are not a luxury, but an essential element in creating a high-performance organization. Other topics to be covered are as follows: Ethical Leadership; 21st Century Leadership; Imagine the Possible; The Impact of Culture on Success; The Wal-Mart Story; Vision, Mission and Values; Customer Satisfaction; Strategic Planning; Corporate Governance, and Change.
 
Prior to joining Wal-Mart, Soderquist -- a graduate of Wheaton College in Wheaton, Ill. -- served 16 years with Ben Franklin, including six years as president and CEO. In 1990, he received the Outstanding Business Leader Award from the Northwood Institute in Palm Beach, Fla., and six years later was inducted into the Retailing Hall of Fame. In 1998, John Brown University created the Soderquist Center for Business Leadership and Ethics in his honor. The Center provides ethical leadership training for undergraduates, two masters programs (including an MBA), and business leadership seminars for men and women in the corporate world. A member of the boards of Arvest Bank and ServiceMaster, Inc., Soderquist also serves on numerous charitable boards.
 
The National Hardware Show will celebrate its history spanning 65 years of serving the home improvement marketplace. From its early beginnings in New York during the post-World War II housing boom and eventual move to Chicago in the 1970s to today’s current location in Las Vegas, the National Hardware Show continually evolves through the industry’s involvement, commitment and passion to improving America’s quality of life through their homes. Today, the National Hardware Show is the place for global manufacturers, associations, organizations and the media to unveil their new products, ideas and insights to a broad spectrum of home improvement resellers.