Don Soderquist

Don Soderquist
Born	(1934-01-29)January 29, 1934 Chicago, Illinois,U.S.
Died	July 21, 2016(2016-07-21)(aged 82) Rochester, Minnesota,U.S.
Alma mater	Wheaton College (Illinois)
Known for	Chief Operating Officer and Senior Vice Chairman ofWal-Mart Stores Inc.
Spouse	JoAnn Soderquist
Children	Mark Soderquist, Wendy Togami, Sandie Ford, Jeff Soderquist
Website	soderquist.org

Donald G. Soderquist(January 29, 1934 – July 21, 2016) was an American businessman known for his work as chief operating officer and senior vice chairman ofWal-Mart Stores Inc.

Early life

Don Soderquist was born on January 29, 1934, inChicago,Illinois.He attendedWheaton College (Ill.),where he earned his bachelor of arts degree in business administration in 1955. Soon after graduation, he married JoAnn (Jo) Pollard inWheaton, Illinois.He then served in the U.S. ArmyFinance Corpsfrom 1957 – 1959. He and Jo had four children: Mark, Wendy, Sandie and Jeff.

Career

Soderquist began his career working for City Products, moving on to work forBen Franklin Storesand then fulfilling a long and extraordinary career atWalmart Stores Inc.,inBentonville, Arkansas.

He worked for the five-and-dime and craft chain Ben Franklin stores for 16 years, six of which he served aspresidentandchief executive officer.During his time at Ben Franklin, Soderquist metSam Walton,founder of Wal-Mart Stores Inc. Several times Walton tried to persuade Soderquist to join his team at Walmart. In 1980, Walton hired Soderquist to serve as the Wal-Mart Stores Inc. executive vice president; Soderquist went on to serve in several other executive positions during his tenure at Walmart including senior vice chairman and chief operating officer. During that time, Walmart's revenues expanded from $1 billion to more than $200 billion.He officially retired from Walmart in 2002.

After retiring from Walmart, Soderquist turned his focus toSoderquist Leadership,a leadership center providing values-focused development training for more than 50,000 people since it was founded in 1998. The center was a joint effort between Soderquist and John Brown University President Lee Balzer.

During his career, Soderquist received multiple board appointments. He served on the Board of Trustees for John Brown University from 1982 – 2009, and as chair of the board from 1991 – 2002. He was fulfilling board appointments forArvest Bankof Benton County andCinemark Theatreswhen he died.

Death

Soderquist died at the age of 82 on July 21, 2016, due to complications from heart surgery. A memorial service was held in his honor at Fellowship Bible NWA inRogers,Arkansas,on July 29, 2016.

Philanthropy

Soderquist was active in his community, supporting charities and nonprofits alike. He received multiple awards for his work in this area including the Dick Trammel Good Neighbor Award from the Rogers-Lowell Area Chamber of Commerce in 2009, and the Advocate for Innocence Award for Outstanding Community Partner from the Children's Advocacy Center ofBenton Countyin 2015.

Three nonprofits Soderquist worked closely with were Lake Geneva Camps and Conferences (Lake Geneva, Wisconsin), New Life Ranch (Colcord, Oklahoma), and Westlawn Youth Network (Bellwood, Illinois).

Honors

1990 Received Outstanding Business Leader Award from the Northwood Institute in Palm Beach, Florida.

1996 Inducted into the Retailing Hall of Fame.

2009 Elected Trustee Emeritus at John Brown University.

2011 Inducted into the Arkansas Business Hall of Fame in 2011.

2013John Brown Universitynamed their business college after Soderquist.

He also received Honorary Doctorate Degrees fromSouthwest Baptist Universityin Bolivar, Missouri, from John Brown University, and fromJudson Collegein Elgin, Illinois.

Publications

Soderquist, Don (2005),The Wal-Mart Way: The Inside Story of the Success of the World's Largest Company,Thomas Nelson,ISBN0785261192.

Soderquist, Don (2006),Live Learn Lead to Make a Difference,Thomas Nelson,ISBN1404101497.

External links

• http://soderquist.org/