NWACC Corporate Learning: Education uniquely targets vendor careers

The bottom line of NWACC’s Marketing Analyst Program and Advanced Retail courses can be seen by looking at its students. Ten years after its development, the Marketing Analyst Program is still going strong and has produced 532 graduates. As a result, Northwest Arkansas has a more highly trained analyst candidate pool of talent, reducing the demand pressure for constant movement between Walmart and supplier companies, delivering on the original program purpose.

In 1999, NWACC’s corporate learning department began a partnership with Walmart and the vendor community to develop a uniquely specialized, comprehensive curriculum to prepare graduates for entry level positions within the vendor workforce.

At that time, powerhouse business leaders, including Walmart’s then-CEO Lee Scott and past-CEO David Glass, called a meeting with a large group of supplier leaders to address the significant concerns of the marketplace. They agreed that the high demand for people trained to utilize Retail Link, Walmart’s decision support system, was a primary concern.

Scott asked Wayne Callahan, President of Global Wal-Mart Business at Heinz, to lead a steering committee to help resolve the issue. Working with NWACC, Callahan brought 20 supplier leaders together to design a curriculum. Ten years later, the Marketing Analyst Program has produced 532 highly trained graduates, reducing the demand pressure for constant movement between Walmart and supplier companies.

Over the years, NWACC has added a number of Advanced Retail courses to serve this business sector. Together, the Marketing Analyst Program and Advanced Retail courses at NWACC produce graduates with the applicable computer skills, an in-depth understanding of today’s retail environment, and the requisite soft skills needed for an analyst position in the fast-paced Northwest Arkansas retail community.

Classes such as Practical Retailing Solutions, Communication Skills, Merchandising & Data Analysis, Actionable Analysis with Microsoft Office, and Virtual Merchandising, present the history of retailing, delineate the marketing analyst’s role, cover category data analysis and retailing strategies, and introduce the Retail Link decision support system.

Because the instructional staff is a critical factor determining the value of these classes, NWACC only selects instructors who are experienced retail professionals from the Northwest Arkansas retail community. Valerie Wilson, who was instrumental in developing the Advanced Retail courses, typifies the quality of these instructors. Wilson is currently Director of Consumer Insights with Information Resources, Inc., a leading provider of syndicated data, household panel, and manufacturer/retailer consulting and solutions. Students benefit from the knowledge Wilson garnered from earning her M.B.A. and her practical experience from 10 years of working in the local vendor community.

The effectiveness of these programs can be judged by the product, its graduates. Knouse Foods National Account Sales Manager Tammy Kooy said, “This is a great program that provides a quality learning experience for anyone wanting to improve themselves and become an analyst in the supplier community. The program courses teach you the skills you need to hit the ground running. The Marketing Analyst Program has allowed me to accomplish things that otherwise I may not have been able to do!”

Looking ahead:

NWACC is building again to meet its rapid enrollment growth. When completed in the spring, the 40,000 square foot, $8 million Shewmaker Center for Global Business Development will house several programs, including business, computer, and sustainability classes.

Many community leaders and organizations, such as the Jack Shewmaker Family, Bill and Cathy Stribling, and J.B. Hunt Transport Services, have stepped forward to make a gift toward the $4 million matching grant awarded by the Walton Family Foundation in 2007.

Jill Wagar (jwagar@nwacc.edu), Associate Vice President for Development directs fundraising for the NWACC Foundation as it continues to raise funds for this or other projects.

A December 8, 2009 event dedicated the Welcome Center at the new Shewmaker Center for Global Business Development in honor of Wayne Callahan, President of Global Wal-Mart Business at Heinz. The dedication was made possible by a gift from the Heinz Foundation and Heinz North America, matched by The Walton Family Foundation. Callahan was instrumental in the development of NWACC’s Marketing Analyst Program.

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