Marc Penterman served 20 years in the Air Force prior to joining Walmart just eight months ago. He worked as an Assistant Manager overseeing Home Lines and is now responsible for a team that restocks the shelves for a store in Phoenix, Ariz.
“When I started working at Walmart less than a year ago, they gave me a Veteran badge to wear and it made me very proud,” said Marc Penterman, assistant manager at a Phoenix Walmart. “The badge is like a medal of honor. When both customers and employees see it, they treat me with such warmth and thank me for my service. It really is a strong community at Walmart.”
Marc Penterman is one of thousands of veterans who has found a home with Walmart since the company introduced the Veterans Welcome Home Commitment (VWHC) in 2013, setting its goal of hiring 250,000 new veteran associates by 2020.
Today, as part of the company’s Associate Week, Walmart announced it achieved its goal with 265,000 hires during the past eight years, including more than 6400 in Arizona. As a substitute for its annual Shareholders Week due to COVID-19, Walmart designated May 30 – June 5 as Associate Week, showcasing the accomplishments of its more than two million associates worldwide.
“We’re proud of our achievements and the opportunities presented to the brave service members who’ve honorably defended our country,” said Brynt Parmeter, senior director for Walmart Military Programs. “Now, it’s our responsibility to continue preparing these men and women for meaningful futures full of economic opportunity and overall well-being.”
First announced on Memorial Day 2013, the VWHC’s initial goal was hiring 100,000 veterans by the end of 2018. Two years later, the company expanded that goal to 250,000 by the end of 2020.
On Veterans Day 2018, recognizing the need to broaden employment opportunities for military families, Walmart introduced the Military Spouses Career Connection. To date, the company has hired 19,045 associates and continues offering any military spouse hiring preference when applying for a job.
“We’re proud of our achievements and the opportunities presented to the talented service members who’ve honorably served our country,” said Brynt Parmeter, senior director for Walmart Military Programs. “Now, it’s our responsibility to continue preparing these men and women for meaningful futures with the Walmart community.”
Parmeter is now looking to the next chapter in Walmart’s commitment to veterans and the communities they serve. He says his team is taking an interest in employment, entrepreneurship, learning, health and wellness initiatives when looking to the future of Walmart Military Programs.
“This is such an important time for us,” he said. “Our company is committed to finding new ways that we can build relationships and engage with members of this community to advance and improve both economic opportunity and overall well-being.” Walmart and the Walmart Foundation have a long history of supporting veterans, service members and their families. Since 2011, Walmart and the Walmart Foundation have invested more than $40 million in programs that support job training, education and innovative public/private community-based initiatives.
For more information about Walmart’s commitment to veterans, service members and military families, please visit: http://www.walmartcareerswithamission.com/ or http://corporate.walmart.com/global-responsibility/veterans-military-families/.
Walmart Inc. (NYSE: WMT) helps people around the world save money and live better – anytime and anywhere – in retail stores, online and through their mobile devices. In Arizona we serve customers at 126 retail units and online through Walmart Online Grocery, http://Walmart.com and our family of brands. We are proud to employ 33,616 associates in Arizona. Walmart supports local businesses, spending $1.6 billion with Arizona suppliers in FYE19 and supporting 32,767 Arizona supplier jobs. Walmart continues to be a leader in employment opportunity, sustainability, and corporate philanthropy. In FY19, Walmart and the Walmart Foundation contributed more than $24.5 million in cash and in-kind donations to local nonprofits in Arizona.
