Page 40 - ATR 5 2020 digital

Jeff Hammonds AT-A-GLANCE haps faster than we thought we could
because we needed them, those are
some permanent enhancements that
I think we’ll draw long term benefit
FAMILY: His wife of 32 years, Cheri, sons Tyler, 27, and Adam, 25, and
daughter-in-law Heather from.”
As it heads toward holiday shopping
FIRST TRIP TO A WALMART STORE: “Evergreen did not have a season, Walmart and its retail competi-
Walmart when I was growing up. It still doesn’t, though nearby tors are working to ensure capacity in
stores serve the community. I went to Destin, Fla., and Walmart
had a store there. That was the first one I’d ever been in to stores and online.
actually shop. I had heard they were awesome.” While e-commerce is not a new
phenomenon, the mix of in-store and
“The retail solutions we had in Evergreen were truly just little mom
and pop things. They were part of my childhood, and I have a deep online sales is more complex than it
appreciation for my community. But when I walked into this first was a year ago. Not surprising, the sec-
Walmart as a 25-year old, I said ‘You’ve got to be kidding me. I can tor has seen the most growth since the
get everything in there!’” pandemic in e-commerce.
TEAM LOYALTIES? Hammonds grew up “a pretty avid Alabama fan,” “It doesn’t surprise any of us that
watching the Crimson Tide under coaching legend Bear Bryant. that’s where the growth has been.
Cheri attended Troy State University and was an Auburn University Understanding that and knowing
fan. Switching Southeast Conference (SEC) team loyalties was not a that the growth was going to happen
challenge, he said. was one of those pivot points,” said

“When we moved to northwest Arkansas and our children were Hammonds.
born, they became Razorbacks. Once they were calling the Hogs at “Now you have to make sure
four and five years old, it was easy to convert. We thought that that your solution can be adapted and
was just good for everybody involved.”
adjusted to do it.”
BEST PART ABOUT BEING AN ARKANSAN? “It’s amazing to see the “I think everybody realizes that
growth [in Northwest Arkansas]. We are very blessed to be living in being a true omnichannel solution is
that part of state. Bentonville is such a dynamic place in terms of how you put yourself in the best position
the culture that’s there, the things that are available, the quality to meet customer demand,” he said. It’s
of life, education, healthcare, and the economy in that part of the
state has always been strong and healthy. not a question of either/or. It’s both.
“Don’t force the customer to decide
“Just a few years ago, I bought a bike, and I probably hadn’t whether they want to shop in a store or
ridden one since I was 12 years old. Now I ride it several times a
week.” online,” he said. “Make sure they have
the options that matter most to them.”
Walmart began as a bricks-and-
perspective on the vital role it can play tion ourselves to meet those needs,” mortar business. The average customer
helping communities recover from trag- he said. “That constantly has to be our has a store within 10 miles of where
edy, Hammonds said. focus, and we’ll be in a good place as they live. As it has evolved and adapted
“We began to understand what we long as we remember that the customer to e-commerce, its physical footprint
could do, given our scale, to really help is the center of everything we do. The offers a significant advantage.
in a situation like that and be more than circumstance might change, the com- “I think what makes us unique
just a retailer,” he said. “Now look at plexities may change, but the focus as a company that grew up bricks and
the pandemic. It’s in every community. still has to be on how you provide that mortar is that we have more than 5,000
It’s worldwide. How do you become part customer what they need and make it a stores, forward-deployed, that can put
of the solution that is helping make life frictionless experience for them regard- inventory closer to customer,” he said.
easier for people on that scale? That’s less of how they want to shop.” “Being able to fulfill at fulfillment
what we have to be able to do in order to COVID-19 represents an inflec- distribution centers and stores in sup-
feel like we’re meeting the needs of our tion point for the retail and trucking port of the omnichannel customer is
customers.” industry. Many of the changes that took something that I think we can lever-
While the company’s perspective place this year are likely here to stay, he age. That’s what I would say makes us
has changed because of national and thinks. unique.
global events, the focus cannot, he said. “I think some of the things that “We believe that’s what the
“We need to understand the needs we’ve been able to bring to bear keep customer wants, the option and a
of the customers, the needs of the us efficient, technologies and processes healthy experience to shop any way
community, and how we can best posi- that we have forced to fruition per- they want.” ATR

40 Issue 5 2020 | ARKANSAS TRUCKING REPORT