BIG BUSINESS | WALMART
By Chris Marshall
Photos by JOHN BURNS
A company the size of Walmart carries a lot of clout when it comes to business deals. In 2022, the Arkansas-based retail giant ranked No. 1 on the Fortune 500 list for the 10th year in a row. Already with three other facilities based in Kansas, none were larger—or more valuable—than the distribution center announced in Topeka in 2019.
The 1.3 million-square-foot structure, which celebrated its one-year anniversary in July, can receive up to $1.87 million in cash incentives from JEDO and opened with the goal of creating 300 full-time jobs within a five-year period. Ryan McMichael, senior director of ecommerce fulfillment for Walmart, said that benchmark has already been surpassed.
RYAN McMICHAEL | Senior Director of eCommerce Fulfillment | Photo by John Burns
“We’re very pleased to have met and exceeded our goals,” he said. “I’m excited about the future, not just for this building, but for the supply chain business as a whole. The upcoming season should also present some opportunities to continue to increase the head count at this facility by potentially a couple hundred.”
The impact of those jobs extends beyond the building’s vast walls. Most of the company’s hires are Kansans, which means much of the money and goodwill generated by Walmart’s newly created careers goes back into local communities. Others, like McMichael, came from out of state but are enjoying the experience after crossing the border.
“It’s been a great opportunity for the past year and a half to get involved in the Topeka area,” said McMichael, a Missouri native who now lives in Kansas. “It’s Walmart’s goal to have a positive impact in the region and spaces we operate in. As for myself, I’m involved in different organizations that support people who are less fortunate or may like the opportunity to get involved in an organization like Walmart to pursue employment and development in a building like this.”
For Topeka, landing a company like Walmart is a big win, but Molly Howey, in her fifth year as GO Topeka president, said the collaboration doesn’t stop once a company signs on the dotted line.
“I think it makes a ton of sense for them to be here,” Howey said of Walmart. “They're brand new as far as a corporate citizen goes. So, we're building a relationship and figuring out how to best serve their wishes for community involvement.”
Maintaining an ongoing partnership helps cement the county’s reputation as a viable destination for others as well.
“When we talk to companies and site location consultants, and begin to name off the companies and the brands that we have here, it doesn't take long,” Howey said. “We're a third of the way down the list of our major companies and they're like, ‘Okay, we get it. This is a great place to do business.’”
