By Mike Troy, DSN Retailing Today - April 4, 2006
CONNECTING NORTHWEST ARKANSAS | 1Q • 2006
CAMERON SMITH, PRESIDENT, CAMERON SMITH & ASSOCIATES, ON SUPPLYING THE NO. 1 RETAILER WITH TOP-NOTCH EXECUTIVES
Cameron Smith & Associates is a Bentonville-based executive search firm that specializes in serving the needs of Wal-Mart vendor teams. Smith, a native of California, founded the company in 1994 that today employs 15 people and serves hundreds of companies.
CNWA: YOU ARE IN CONTACT WITH A LOT OF THE VENDOR TEAMS THAT CALL ON WAL-MART. WHAT ARE THE BIGGEST CONCERNS PEOPLE RESPONSIBLE FOR LEADING THESE ORGANIZATIONS HAVE FOR THE COMING YEAR?
CS: Recruiting the best and brightest talent for their team is always a top concern as teams continue to grow and expand. Because the vendor job market here is so competitive, retaining quality people is also important. Team leaders are challenged to continuously devise creative ways to keep people other than increasing salaries.
CNWA: WHAT TYPE OF CREATIVE APPROACHES ARE YOU SEEING FROM THE VENDOR TEAMS ADDRESSING THOSE CONCERNS?
CS: Many companies are looking for innovative ways to attract and retain employees. Ongoing professional training, promotion opportunities, mentoring programs and teambuilding activities are ways progressive companies build employee loyalty. Additional perks such as flexible hours, working from home, cell phones, laptops and health club memberships help the employees establish a better work/life balance.
CNWA: WHAT TYPE OF POSITIONS ARE THOSE TEAMS WHO MOST EFFECTIVELY SERVE WAL-MART CREATING AND FILLING THAT WILL ALLOW THEM TO REMAIN LEADERS?
CS: Some of the newly created positions for leading supplier teams include shopper solutions / consumer insights, junior national account manager and IT solution specialist. Most team leaders will try to define the work involved before thinking about staffing. Once they have a feel for the work involved, they will resource the work to win versus their competition.
CNWA: WHAT’S THE MARKET LIKE NOW IN TERMS OF THE DEMAND FOR TALENT? ARE CONDITIONS STILL INTENSE OR HAS DEMAND BECOME MORE RATIONAL?
CS: To find the best and the brightest is always challenging and competitive. The demand remains high for the “A” players. Team leaders recognize that, aside from pure technical skills, there must be a good personal fit with the existing teams.
CNWA: GIVEN THAT DEMAND VARIES BY THE TYPE OF POSITION, WHAT POSITIONS ARE YOU SEEING THE GREATEST DEMAND FOR?
CS: The demand remains highest for experienced category managers. We have also seen an increased demand for marketing, consumer insights and various international positions.
CNWA: WHAT IMPACT HAS THE GROWTH AND EXPANSION OF WAL-MART INTERNATIONAL HAD ON THE PERSONNEL NEEDS AND SKILL SETS REQUIRED BY THE SUPPLIER COMMUNITY?
CS: After talking with those who lead global teams, there does seem to be a skill-set change occurring. At one time the international role was more about communication between Wal-Mart and their people in the various countries outside the United States. The focus was on training or sharing best practices. That is still important, but more emphasis is being placed on actual results in those countries. Increasingly the skill set requires someone who really knows how business is done every day at Wal-Mart and Sam’s in the United States, the actual blocking and tackling. These managers must also be able to influence their company to change in other countries. Accountability is still principally placed within each country but increasingly the expectation is that the international resources also be accountable. the sharper focus on results and accountability will require a more engaged business manager rather than just a good communication manager.
CNWA: HOW DO YOU EXPECT THAT SITUATION TO CHANGE IN THE FUTURE AS THE INTERNATIONAL DIVISION PENETRATES ADDITIONAL COUNTRIES AND ADVANCES TOWARD SALES OF $100 BILLION?
CS: The workload is growing rapidly. As Wal-Mart moves from 10 to 20 and even more countries outside the United States, the support work grows. Leading teams will need more people to do this work and better systems to stay on top of the business.
CNWA: WAL-MART HAS MADE THE ISSUE OF SUSTAINABILITY A TOP PRIORITY AND LAST YEAR NAMED A VP OF CORPORATE STRATEGY AND SUSTAINABILITY. DO YOU EXPECT VENDOR TEAMS WILL FOLLOW SUIT BY CREATING SUSTAINABILITY POSITIONS OR ASSIGNING THOSE RESPONSIBILITIES TO EXISTING TEAM MEMBERS?
CS: Teams will take more initiative with sustainability when they see Wal-Mart awarding shelf space to a supplier for their efforts in, let’s say, packaging. Once a team loses shelf space, it will become highly motivated to implement changes. I believe teams would initially outsource this work to an agency that has the expertise in sustainability rather than adding a dedicated person to the team. Once it is recognized as an ongoing, successful effort, teams may then add that kind of a position to their Wal-Mart team. Because it applies to ingredients involved in packaging and how products are produced, it is really a total company responsibility. It would be the responsibility of the entire Wal-Mart team to communicate back to corporate any needed behavior changes with regard to environmental changes that would be beneficial. Obviously, any changes would incorporate research and development, marketing, purchasing, all the
way down the line.
CNWA: WE’VE TALKED A LOT ABOUT THE NEEDS OF SUPPLIERS AND HOW THEIR BUSINESSES ARE CHANGING. HOW IS CAMERON SMITH & ASSOCIATES EVOLVING TO ENHANCE THE SERVICES IT PROVIDES CLIENTS?
CS: We believe one of our major strengths—our strong local presence where we stay on top of the true pulse of the community—has enabled us to become the largest executive search firm serving the Wal-Mart suppliers. We have added new technology to facilitate better data management and communication. CSA also recognizes that this is our community and we work to make it better for all by taking an active role in local charities, such as the Single Parent Scholarship Foundation, Arkansas Athletes Outreach, the Cancer Challenge and Mercy Hospital Capital Campaign, among others. One of our major goals is to remain a leader at all levels and so we invest in training programs for ourselves. This month we are completing an intensive training and team-building program through the Soderquist Center for Leadership & Ethics.
CNWA: ARE THERE NEW SERVICES OR CAPABILITIES YOU’RE LOOKING TO ADD IN ANTICIPATION OF THE NEEDS SUPPLIERS DON’T KNOW THEY HAVE YET?
CS: We work in conjunction with the educational speaker series for vendors, Doing Business in Bentonville. CSA is represented on the steering committee for DBB. I am also a member of the board of directors for RFID Global Solutions and the board of directors for Bentonville Software Associates, the market leader of data mining software tools for Retail Link users. We are continually trying to educate ourselves regarding the latest directives Wal-Mart is requiring of its suppliers.
CNWA: YOU’VE BEEN IN NORTHWEST ARKANSAS SINCE 1994 AND SEEN SOME DRAMATIC GROWTH. WHAT HAS BEEN THE IMPACT OF THAT GROWTH ON YOUR ABILITY TO RECRUIT PEOPLE TO JOIN VENDOR TEAMS BASED IN THE AREA?
CS: We don’t recruit as many individuals to Northwest Arkansas as we do companies. We consult with suppliers who are interested in establishing a local presence. Our clients come to us for Northwest Arkansas-based talent. In addition, we place candidates who are willing to relocate to fill positions at suppliers’ corporate headquarters out of state.
CNWA: ARE YOU SEEING ANY MIGRATION OF TALENT OUT OF NORTHWEST ARKANSAS AS COMPANIES BASED IN OTHER PARTS OF THE COUNTRY BECOME AWARE OF THE TALENT AND EXPERTISE IN THE REGION.
CS: Most people still want to work for the No. 1 retailer in the country. That means an ever-increasing population of the best talent in the world comes to the area for a short tour of duty and later decides to advance their career here. There are tremendous opportunities which, combined with the outstanding quality of life for individuals and families in Northwest Arkansas, can’t be matched anywhere in the country. Why would anyone leave?