BENTONVILLE, Ark. (KFSM) — A memorial has been set up for David Glass, former CEO and President of Walmart, who died at the age of 84 on Jan. 9.
Glass will be remembered at a service on Monday (Jan. 27) at 1 p.m. at Northwest Arkansas Fellowship Bible Church in Rogers.
The memorial is set up at the front window of the Walmart Museum in downtown Bentonville. It was set up to honor Glass and his impact on the company.
“Mr. Walton hand-picked him as his successor in 1988 he was the CEO of 12 years of tremendous growth for the company,” Gatling said.
During Glass's time as CEO of Walmart, the company increased revenues from $16 billion to $165 billion.
Glass lead efforts to create Walmart supercenter stores as well as Sams Clubs, all while taking operations international.
He also pushed for adopting cutting edge technologies, which Debbie Griffin with the City of Bentonville says brought countless jobs and diversity to the area.
“Sometimes I don’t think people realize the mark that he left on Northwest Arkansas and really how he fueled our economy,” Griffin said.
Following his tenure at Walmart, Glass went on to pursue a new business venture and life long passion.
"He grew up wanting to be a baseball player like a lot of little boys did and always had a passion for baseball,” said Paul Gatling from NWA Business Journal.
Glass officially became CEO and sole owner of the Kansas City Royals in 2000, eventually leading them to the world series twice and bringing home the championship title in 2015.
“You know there’s 30 major baseball teams, there’s 30 Major League Baseball owners and one of them just happened to like in Bentonville, Arkansas,” Gatling said.
Glass won numerous awards in his lifetime including getting inducted into the Retail Hall of Fame.
Those who knew him say his contribution to Northwest Arkansas and Walmart will continue to be seen for years to come.
“As our area continues to grow, technology is a driving force in Northwest Arkansas so I think his legacy will continue at Walmart and I think he’s had an impact on other industries in the area,” Griffin said.