Photo: Dean Sanders
A former executive of one of the world’s largest retail chains will be the distinguished alumnus during the Mountain Home Education Foundation’s Night of Honors. Dean Sanders will be enshrined into the foundation’s Hall of Honor Thursday on the campus of Arkansas State University-Mountain Home.
Sanders is a 1968 graduate of Mountain Home High School, where he was a football player, an FBLA member and a fire marshal. While he resides in Texas, he says Mountain Home always has a special place in his heart.
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Sanders went on to attend the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, where he majored in banking and finance and worked toward a bachelor of science in business administration. During his junior year, he married Cindy, his high school sweetheart, and took a job at Walmart in Fayetteville as a store clerk in the sporting goods department.
After graduation, Sanders joined Walmart’s assistant managers training program, relocated several times and trained in various store locations. At the age of 24, he was promoted and became the chain’s youngest store manager at the time. Under Sanders’ leadership, the Siloam Springs location earned Walmart’s Store of the Year Award.
Sanders was later promoted to the Walmart General Office in Bentonville, where he contributed in buying, fashion distribution and operations. He worked his way up to becoming an executive vice president of Walmart Stores and serving on the Walmart Executive Committee. Sanders later served for two years as the president and chief executive officer of the Sam’s Club division before retiring at the age of 45.
When Sanders first went to work for Walmart, he was hired directly by Sam Walton. Sanders worked closely with the late Walmart founder, and he is even mentioned in Walton’s autobiography. Sanders describes Walton as a great mentor for him.
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During his time at Walmart, Sanders began raising quarter horses and showing them at national cutting horse shows throughout the United States. He won several horse shows, including the Super Stakes, one of the country’s largest shows. One of his horses was selected as the National Cutting Horse Association horse of the year in 2001, and another one was the runner-up. Sanders was inducted in the National Cutting Horse Hall of Fame in 2005.
Sanders says he is looking forward to returning to Mountain Home and seeing some of his long-time friends.
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Sanders will be recognized during the Night of Honors Thursday evening at 5:30 in the Vada Sheid Community Development Center. Tickets are $45 and can be reserved by contacting Jennifer Seaman at the foundation office at 870-425-1228 or by emailing mhef@mhbombers.com.
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