Walmart held its annual Open Call event at its headquarters on Wednesday, bringing together entrepreneurs from across the country to pitch their products to distributors in hopes of gaining a spot in stores and online. “We had thousands of applications this year,” said Mark Espinoza, Walmart’s senior director of public relations. More than 500 entrepreneurs were selected to pitch, Espinoza said. The entrepreneurs had 30 minutes to pitch their products to Walmart buyers in hopes of being the “Golden Ticket” winner. “It’s amazing for them to see their product come to life on our shelves, whether it’s a dot com or a store or a club, and in front of millions of customers,” Espinoza said. The Golden Ticket winners expressed their excitement, saying the opportunity has the potential to change their lives. “For a small-town, family-owned business, this is a game changer. It’s something that will change our trajectory forever. We couldn’t be more grateful and excited to be a part of this opportunity,” said winner Thomas McNutt, from Corsicana, Texas. Winner Dakota Sheets, from Denver, Colorado, encouraged others to take a chance. “I would tell anyone thinking about participating to just go for it, because you never know what’s going to happen, and everyone along the way has been so welcoming and kinder than I ever expected,” Sheets said. After receiving their golden ticket, the winners will be able to redesign their branding and packaging if they wish, and they’ll get to see how many stores will carry their product. “It could happen within a few months, or it could take a few years, but this is an opportunity to start a process and a journey,” Espinoza said. Past winners returned as mentors for this year’s entrepreneurs, offering guidance and support. “Once we got into the stores, the support we received from Walmart and the surrounding community was just incredible,” said Jason Patton, last year’s winner from Rockford, Illinois. Walmart said five Arkansas companies were among those pitching their products at the event.
Bentonville, Arkansas —
Walmart held its annual Open Call event at its headquarters on Wednesday, bringing together entrepreneurs from across the country to pitch their products to reps in hopes of gaining space in stores and online.
“We received thousands of applications this year,” said Mark Espinoza, Walmart’s senior director of public relations. More than 500 entrepreneurs were selected to pitch, Espinoza said.
Entrepreneurs had 30 minutes to pitch their product to Walmart buyers in hopes of winning a “Golden Ticket.”
“It’s amazing for them to see their product in front of millions of customers, whether it’s on dot com, in stores or at clubs, and then see it come to life on our shelves,” Espinoza said.
Golden ticket winners expressed excitement about the potentially life-changing opportunity.
“This is a game changer for a small town, family-owned business. This is something that will change the trajectory forever. We couldn’t be more grateful and excited to be a part of this opportunity,” said honoree Thomas McNutt, of Corsicana, Texas.
Winner Dakota Sheets, from Denver, Colorado, encouraged others to take the chance.
“I would say to anyone thinking about coming, just go for it because you never know what to expect, and everyone I’ve met along the way has been so helpful and kind, more than I would have expected as the largest retailer in the world,” Sheets said.
After receiving their Golden Ticket, the winners will be able to redesign their brand and packaging if they wish, and will know how many stores will carry their product.
“It could happen within a few months or it could take a few years, but it’s an opportunity to start a process and a journey,” Espinosa said.
Past winners returned as mentors to this year’s entrepreneurs, offering guidance and support.
“Once I got to the store, the support I received from Walmart and the surrounding community was amazing,” said last year’s winner, Jason Patton of Rockford, Illinois.
Walmart noted that five Arkansas companies were among those promoting their products at the event.
