At the Rogers-Lowell Area Chamber of Commerce, we’re primed for our biggest membership event of the year – the annual banquet – tomorrow night at 6 p.m. (reception) at the John Q. Hammons Center.
Our entire staff (24!) will be there, and we anticipate around 950 of our members and friends. A number of state legislators are driving home from the 87th Arkansas General Assembly in Little Rock on Friday afternoon to join us, as well as special guests such as Becky Thompson, Deputy Director of the Arkansas Economic Development Commission.
We’re particularly excited about our keynote speaker this year (who promises to keep us on time!) – Don Soderquist, former COO of Wal-Mart Stores. Don is something of a local legend as well as the founder of the Soderquist Center (http://www.soderquist.org/), and is known as the “keeper of the culture – continuing Sam Walton’s legacy.” Don is an inspiring and engaging speaker.
At a recent staff meeting, our team discussed the fact that because Don has been retired from Wal-Mart Stores for more than 10 years, many younger consumer product company team members and others new to the community may not be aware of his legacy and impact on Northwest Arkansas and the world. We’re looking forward to hearing him as well as seeing everyone at tomorrow night’s banquet!