John’s First Day

FromThe Huddle with John Furner

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John’s First Day

FromThe Huddle with John Furner

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Length:

8 minutes

Released:

Nov 1, 2019

Format:

Podcast episode

Description

On his first day as President & CEO of Walmart U.S., John Furner shared what Walmart means to him, his leadership style, and why he's excited to connect with associates.

Released:

Nov 1, 2019

Format:

Podcast episode

Titles in the series (81)

Team – I value communication and want to make sure you’re always able to hear directly from your leaders, including me. You’ll hear us talk about different aspects of the business that come together to form Walmart. I’ll also share the thinking behind some of the decisions we make, why we operate like we do, and your role in all of it. – John Furner, Walmart U.S. President & CEO

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The Huddle with John Furner: You’ve heard a few episodes so far and it’s now officially called, “The Huddle with John Furner.” Give this new episode a listen to hear why he chose that name! John also shares how we should be communicating with our teams, serving our customers, and the role Walmart plays in people’s lives during this busy holiday season. by The Huddle with John Furner
7 min listen
An American Hero: As we took time this week to honor all veterans, John Furner sat down with Army veteran Sal Giunta. Sal is the first living person since Vietnam to receive the Medal of Honor. He is an inspiration to many with his humility, integrity and commitment to serving others. The stories he shared are remarkable and impactful. by The Huddle with John Furner
19 min listen
Dollars and Sense: We released our Q4 and full-year earnings this week. Walmart U.S. Chief Financial Officer, Michael Dastugue, keeps track of every dollar and helps guide our strategy. He spent some time on The Huddle with John Furner breaking down how comps and growth affect our associates. Hear their plans for moving the business forward in this new episode. by The Huddle with John Furner
10 min listen
From Supplier to Shelf: Monique Picou is one of the many Supply Chain associates making sure product gets to our store shelves. She joined The Huddle with John Furner and shared how our teams are constantly working to eliminate friction for our customers. Monique is also very passionate about women in STEM and was recently selected to be a part of Fortune’s Most Powerful Women Next Gen Summit! From working internationally to working in Bentonville, AR, hear about her path to Walmart in this new episode. by The Huddle with John Furner
10 min listen
Endless Opportunities: When Bassel Aboutaha moved to America 17 years ago, he interviewed with Walmart and landed a job that ended up changing his life. Today he’s the Store Manager at 3296 in Houston, TX, leading a team that earned 3,000 five-star ratings from customers over a three-month period last year. Bassel’s associates represent the diverse community they serve, where 30 different languages are spoken. He says they can “move mountains.” Bassel is proof that if you look for opportunity and set your mind to it, you can accomplish anything. We know you’ll love hearing his inspiring story in this new episode of The Huddle with John Furner. by The Huddle with John Furner
17 min listen
Evolving eCommerce: Steve Schmitt is the CFO for Walmart U.S. eCommerce and had great news to share this week. Walmart U.S. eComm sales grew by 97% in the second quarter! There are a lot of people behind that number – it doesn’t just happen. We’re evolving for our customers and making a difference. Listen to this newest episode of The Huddle with John Furner to hear Steve talk about Earnings, his love for Louisville, KY, and that one time he met Rob Gronkowski. by The Huddle with John Furner
13 min listen
Respect for the Individual: Respect for the Individual is one of our core values. As we continue taking steps to be an even more inclusive company, it’s important to constantly listen and educate ourselves about race and racism in our country. On this new episode of The Huddle with John Furner, he talks with Deena Hayes-Greene, Co-Founder of the Racial Equity Institute. She has a fantastic story and is so passionate about her work. Listen to this new episode to better understand how you can become an ally. by The Huddle with John Furner
22 min listen
Coronavirus Response: Our associates are making a difference in their communities during this difficult time. Julie Murphy, EVP of People for Walmart U.S., joined The Huddle with John Furner to talk about our new COVID-19 policy, the importance of communication, and how we’ll be making decisions moving forward. Listen to the full episode. by The Huddle with John Furner
16 min listen
Always Serving our Customers: John Furner met with Fiona Tan back in January. She wears many hats as the SVP of U.S. Technology, but a big part of her team’s job is building experiences that save our customers time and money. While we couldn’t have predicted the impact of the pandemic, we’ve always worked to serve our customers. Listen to this newest episode of The Huddle to hear how we’ve gathered feedback, adjusted, been challenged, and met every challenge. by The Huddle with John Furner
9 min listen
Thanksgiving Week: Doug McMillon and John Furner are looking back on all they’ve experienced over the last 25 years of holidays at Walmart! The two swap Black Friday stories and give shout-outs to all of our amazing associates who made this Thanksgiving week happen. by The Huddle with John Furner
7 min listen
John’s First Day: On his first day as President & CEO of Walmart U.S., John Furner shared what Walmart means to him, his leadership style, and why he's excited to connect with associates. by The Huddle with John Furner
8 min listen
Simplify the Work: Dacona Smith is all about simplifying the work. He joined The Huddle last week to talk about how we’ve responded to COVID-19. This week, we’re sharing an episode we actually recorded a couple of months ago with more about his career and leadership style. Dacona started with our company 30 years ago assembling bikes and pushing carts. He also used to play football and shared how his experience playing quarterback reminds him a lot of his time as a store manager. Listen to this new episode to hear his advice for associates! by The Huddle with John Furner
10 min listen
40 Years of Retail in 10 Minutes: This week John sits down with Store Manager Kelly Clark from Fort Smith, AR. Kelly was the store manager when John was training to be an assistant manager back in 1995. They talk about how running a Supercenter has changed over the years, and Kelly shares how he continues to develop associates after 40 years in retail. They also have some great Mr. Sam stories. Give this new episode a listen. by The Huddle with John Furner
10 min listen
Promoting a Healthy Workplace: These are unprecedented times. We’re making decisions hour by hour, and often minute by minute. Walmart is lucky to have Dr. Tom Van Gilder serving as our Chief Medical Officer. Listen to this new episode to hear how we’re working to keep our associates and customers safe and healthy during this COVID-19 pandemic. by The Huddle with John Furner
25 min listen
Walmart+ is Here: We are so excited to announce the launch of our membership program, Walmart+! It gives customers access to services like unlimited free home deliveries from our stores, Scan & Go for fast checkout, and a 5-cent per gallon discount on fuel. Janey Whiteside is our Chief Customer Officer, and her team worked hard to get Walmart+ off the ground. Listen to this new episode of The Huddle with John Furner to hear about this “life hack” and how it’ll save our customers money and time. by The Huddle with John Furner
16 min listen
Learning from International Teams: COVID-19 is affecting the lives of our associates all over the world. Listen to John Furner and Judith McKenna, CEO of Walmart International, talk about what we’re seeing in different markets, what we’ve learned over the last few months, and how we can share best practices. We can learn a lot from each other. by The Huddle with John Furner
13 min listen
Protecting our People: Dacona Smith, Chief Operating Officer for Walmart U.S., is passionate about protecting our associates and customers. He joined John Furner on The Huddle to talk about steps we’ve taken in stores, how our teams have stepped up in their communities, and how the shopping experience has changed for customers during this pandemic. Listen to this new episode to hear how we’re preparing for a new normal in the months ahead. by The Huddle with John Furner
14 min listen
Our Commitment to U.S. Manufacturing: Today is an exciting day. We are really proud to share Walmart’s new commitment of an additional $350 billion in the future of U.S. manufacturing, which will support more than 750,000 new American jobs with products made, grown or assembled in the United States. One of the great companies we’ve partnered with is Techtronic Industries. John Furner recently visited Anderson, SC, and met with Steven Scheyer who serves as Global President for TTI. Steven joined John on The Huddle to talk about his history working with Walmart and the difference we’re making for his company and in his community. by The Huddle with John Furner
6 min listen
Feeding America: Claire Babineaux-Fontenot has a fascinating story. She’s a Walmart alum, practiced law, tax law, corporate law, is a cancer survivor, mother, one of 108 kids, and is now the CEO of Feeding America. We’ve partnered with the nonprofit for decades and Walmart has provided 4.5 billion meals over the years. Listen to this new episode of The Huddle to hear how you can take part in the Fight Hunger. Spark Change. campaign and help bring food to people in need. by The Huddle with John Furner
22 min listen
Path to Merchandising: Scott McCall started his career with Walmart as an hourly management trainee in Grenada, Mississippi, more than 25 years ago. He was recently named Walmart U.S. Chief Merchandising Officer. Scott understands our customers and the ways they want to shop with us. Hear why being curious makes a big difference in retail in this new episode. by The Huddle with John Furner
9 min listen
Be a Difference Maker: One week ago today, John Furner recognized 85 store managers as Difference Makers. Amy McMullin leads a top-performing team in Norman, OK, and was selected to be celebrated in Bentonville for her achievements. She sat down with John to share challenges she faces and the role Walmart plays in every community. Give this new episode a listen to hear how we’re making a difference for our associates and customers. by The Huddle with John Furner
8 min listen
COVID-19 Customer Changes: While we can prepare for a lot, the needs of our customers quickly changed due to COVID-19. In this last quarter, Walmart U.S. comp sales increased 10%, excluding fuel, and Walmart U.S. eCommerce sales grew 74%. Our merchants choose what we sell, how much we sell it for and whether it’ll be in our stores or online. Listen to this new episode of The Huddle to hear from Latriece Watkins, Charles Redfield and Anthony Soohoo on some of the more interesting items customers started buying and how our teams responded. by The Huddle with John Furner
13 min listen
Investing in American Jobs: Laura Phillips is a lifelong retailer and long-term Walmart associate. She leads our Global Sourcing and U.S. Manufacturing teams and played a huge role in our virtual Open Call event this year. Entrepreneurs and small businesses from 49 states pitched products manufactured in the U.S. to our merchants – and 4,800 were invited to marketplace. These suppliers have come up with innovative new items to meet the unique needs of our customers in several categories. Laura is a true merchant and is passionate about working with our customers, suppliers and associates. She joined The Huddle with John Furner to talk about how she started her career at Walmart as a store intern – and how we can continue making a positive difference in our country by investing in American jobs. by The Huddle with John Furner
18 min listen
Supplier Sazerac Steps Up: From bottles of bourbon to more than 5 million bottles of hand sanitizer, Sazerac switched up production at the start of the pandemic. The Louisville-based company has helped keep American spirits up for 150 years, and has been one of our most important spirit suppliers since 1985. Listen to this new episode of The Huddle to hear from Sazerac CEO Mark Brown and COO Matt Maimone on how their teams coordinated the large-scale shift in nine days. by The Huddle with John Furner
18 min listen
We're Listening: Today was George Floyd’s memorial. There is anguish, trauma and heartache across America. We need to stand up against racism and discrimination. Store Manager NaToya Champion shared a really powerful message about what each of us can do. Be empathetic. Initiate conversations. Ask, “Are you okay?” And now more than ever, listen. We're so grateful to have leaders like NaToya serving our communities and setting a positive example. by The Huddle with John Furner
21 min listen
Year One: John Furner recently wrapped up his first year as Walmart U.S. CEO, so we decided to switch it up a bit for this new episode of The Huddle. Hear John reflect on everything our associates have accomplished, share his thinking behind some of the big decisions we’ve had to make as a company, and explain why we need to keep innovating to better serve our customers in the coming year. by The Huddle with John Furner
18 min listen
Why Walmart? by The Huddle with John Furner
14 min listen
Cheers to Earth Day: Today is Earth Day and we’re committed to doing our part to help reduce U.S. emissions by at least 50% by 2030. One of the ways we can make a difference is by partnering with businesses and companies that share the same goals. Listen to this new episode of The Huddle to hear John Furner talk with New Belgium Brewing CEO Steve Fechheimer about their first certified carbon neutral beer and how they’re working to reduce freight and overall emissions from beer production. by The Huddle with John Furner
19 min listen
What is Omni?: Casey Carl is our Chief Omni Strategy & Operations Officer, and he’s had a long career in retail. As he puts it, omnichannel is the “term du jour” right now - but what exactly does it mean? It’s about delivering the best customer experience, no matter how they want to shop with us. Listen to this new episode of The Huddle with John Furner to hear how we’re removing friction for our associates, providing end-to-end service for our customers, and creating a unified strategy. by The Huddle with John Furner
11 min listen
Focus on Trust: Trust is something we take very seriously at Walmart. We want our associates, customers, and the communities we serve to trust us. Nuala O’Connor is our SVP and Chief Counsel of Digital Citizenship. Her team makes sure we’re using data ethically and innovating responsibly to ultimately do the right thing for our customers. Listen to this new episode of The Huddle with John Furner to learn about Nuala’s career path and journey to Walmart, what Digital Citizenship means and how we’re using data and technology to build trust. by The Huddle with John Furner
18 min listen

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Driving the American Dream: As we celebrate our Driver and Tech Appreciation Week, I want to recognize our amazing associates in Walmart's Private Fleet who play a crucial role in keeping our stores stocked, and serving our partners and customers all over the country. I also want to shine a spotlight on Emmanuel - not only is he one of our great drivers, but he's also an amazing person whose story is the true embodiment of the American dream. Originally from Uganda, Emmanuel came to the U.S. 27 years ago to support his family back home. Despite the struggle to make ends meet and being encouraged to file for bankruptcy, he joined Walmart's Private Fleet in 2021 – and it changed everything. Emmanuel was able to pay off $38,000 in debt, avoid bankruptcy, improve his credit score by over 200 points, and even buy a home this summer – something he never thought would be possible. In this episode of the Huddle, Emmanuel and I talk about his incredible journey and how his heart for service he by The Huddle with John Furner
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Congratulations Graduates!: Congratulations Graduates! by The Huddle with John Furner
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Family First: Tyler Balsman started with Walmart as a People Greeter when he was 16, working his way to Store Manager in a community we’ve been in for a long time – Store 242 in Paola, Kansas. Four years ago, Tyler was excited to add another title to his resume: Kari’s Dad. Tyler and his wife Danielle used Walmart’s adoption benefit when they became the parents of their beautiful baby girl. Tyler joined me on the Huddle to talk about leading a small-town store that makes a big impact, making the decision to adopt, and how our adoption benefit and parental leave made the process easier. We also talked about how Walmart has expanded our adoption/surrogacy benefits from $5,000 to $20,000, and how our medical plan now supports fertility services. Families come in different shapes and sizes, and they start in many different ways. At Walmart, we’re proud to support all of them! by The Huddle with John Furner
9 min listen
Keep Your Wings Level: Tammie Jo Shults was one of the U.S. Navy’s first female fighter pilots. She later became a Southwest pilot, and in April 2018 she was piloting a flight from New York City to Dallas that experienced a sudden engine failure. The plane was down an engine, and the explosion broke a window – causing the cabin to quickly depressurize. Tammie Jo stayed calm, immediately rerouted the plane, landed in Philadelphia, and even went back to speak with her passengers afterward. It was an honor to have Tammie Jo join me on the Huddle to talk about the experience, leadership, how she’s persevered against offenses, and how we must always “keep our wings level.” by The Huddle with John Furner
12 min listen
On the Road: Our private fleet drivers are the best-of-the-best. They safely drive millions of miles on the roads, keeping our entire business going. We’re also proud to offer one of the best driving jobs out there! A new driver can now earn up to $110,000 in their first year with us, and we recently launched the Private Fleet Development Program which pays for Walmart associates to earn their commercial licenses. Levor Franklin is a recent graduate of that program, and we spent some time on the road for this new episode of The Huddle. Levor is a great driver and fantastic 18-year associate, and I’m excited for you to see him at work in this episode. And THANK YOU to all of our incredible drivers and technicians! We appreciate you. by The Huddle with John Furner
10 min listen
And now... Jay Leno!: It was so cool having Jay Leno join The Huddle. He’s a famous comedian, television host, writer, and supplier for Walmart! They were in Michigan for the Woodward Dream Cruise which is North America’s largest celebration of automotive culture - and, of course, Mr. Sam’s truck made an appearance. Jay is passionate about cars and started his own line of car care products called “Jay Leno’s Garage” about a decade ago. His items are developed, made and shipped from the U.S. and have been on our store shelves for a couple of years now. Listen to this new episode to hear Jay’s advice on how to keep innovating, make products that can reach more people, and ultimately - deliver and care for each customer. by The Huddle with John Furner
12 min listen
Holiday Huddle: It’s been such a great week in Denver, CO, connecting with our teams at the Walmart U.S. Holiday Meeting! Getting to talk items, prepare for the upcoming season, and spend time with associates in person is always energizing - especially when they’re as passionate as Leidy Diaz. Leidy is the Store Manager at 2090 in Franklin, NJ. She moved to America from Colombia at 19 years old, has been with the company three years, and has been serving as SM for about a year. This was her first time coming to the Holiday meeting, and she loved getting to share experiences with fellow managers from across the country. Listen to this new episode of The Huddle to hear why some consider Leidy to be the mayor of her community. by The Huddle with John Furner
6 min listen
Simplifying the Associate Experience: Kellie Romack joined me on The Huddle from a store in Dallas, TX! She spends a lot of time in the field as SVP of Associate and Retail Product Experience. When we talk about "product" in the experience space, we’re talking about mobile apps our frontline associates use on a daily basis. Kellie and her team design and build these apps to simplify the work for our associates, save them time, and help them better serve our customers and members. Listen to this episode to hear Kellie talk about how her team focuses on listening to our associates and how quickly they can create a solution! by The Huddle with John Furner
9 min listen
Creating Opportunity: Ken Chenault is someone I really admire. He was a very successful and respected CEO of American Express, and today he’s the Chairman and Managing Director of General Catalyst. He’s also the co-founder of OneTen, whose mission is to upskill, hire and advance one million Black Americans over the next 10 years into family-sustaining jobs with opportunities for advancement. It was an honor to talk to Ken about leadership and culture, and how we can help create opportunities for individuals and society. Listen to this new episode to hear how you can emerge as a leader. by The Huddle with John Furner
21 min listen
Olé's Success Story: Olé Mexican Foods is one of our incredible suppliers – and a truly inspirational American success story. Veronica Moreno started the company in her home with just one tortilla machine, and today she employs hundreds of people in several communities. I recently had the pleasure of touring Olé’s Texas facilities and talking with Veronica and her son Edgar about the Olé story, and how they’re continuing to expand and invest. Walmart is passionate about supporting American entrepreneurs and businesses. This week, we held our ninth annual Open Call where more than 1,100 businesses from across the country pitched their products for a chance to see them on store shelves, Walmart.com, or our Walmart Marketplace. And we’ve pledged to spend an additional $350 billion over the next 10 years on products made, grown, or assembled in the U.S. That investment will support the creation of an estimated 750,000 new U.S. jobs. It’s amazing to think of the difference we can make by The Huddle with John Furner
13 min listen
Save Money, Live Better: We want to help save people money so they can live better - that’s what we’re here for. It was great having Seth Dallaire, Walmart U.S. Chief Revenue Officer, join John Furner on The Huddle to talk about our first-quarter earnings results. He’s been with the company for six months now and has been focused on asking questions to learn how to better serve our customers and members across the country. Listen to this new episode to hear how we’re navigating different dynamics while keeping merchandising and customers at the forefront. by The Huddle with John Furner
11 min listen

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