At Walmart, everyone’s a merchant, focused on serving customers, striving for excellence and driving sales. The Sam M. Walton Entrepreneur of the Year Award celebrates an associate who embodies Walmart’s entrepreneurial spirit, sees opportunities where others see challenges, and makes a lasting impact on our customers, associates, and communities.
In 2024, Walmart Canada awarded Valdimar Johnson, its inaugural Sam M. Walton Entrepeneur of the Year award, presented at the company’s annual meeting in March.
“I was beyond surprised, beyond honoured. This award was beyond my wildest dreams. When I saw my name on the screen, the tears started flowing,” said Valdimar Johnson, Store Manager of Store 3177 in Winnipeg, Manitoba. “This award allows me to leave my legacy with my family, my community, my customers, and the thousands of Walmart associates who believed in our company philosophy of listening to our associates and our customers. It included many times swimming upstream, adding new items to our stores that supported our local business community, and always striving for excellence.”
Chapter 18 of Sam Walton’s book, Made in America, is all about wanting to leave a legacy. And Valdimar is already well on his way to leaving his. He’s a true visionary, a passionate retailer, and a seasoned leader who has spent the past 47 years enhancing the Walmart shopping experience. Valdimar’s relentless pursuit of innovation has helped him forge meaningful partnerships with local suppliers, bringing unique, high-quality products into our stores.
One standout success story is La Cocina Chips, a small chip manufacturer from Sainte-Anne, Manitoba. Under Valdimar’s guidance, the brand grew from a local operation to a national success story, listed in Walmart Canada’s stores across the country.
Valdimar’s entrepreneurial spirit has brought several other brands to Walmart shelves, and with that, a place in the homes of many Walmart customers. He’s driven growth for these small businesses and strengthened Walmart’s connection with the communities we serve.
But Valdimar’s impact goes beyond business growth. His leadership has shaped thousands of associates, many of whom have gone on to become successful leaders themselves.
Valdimar has received numerous awards throughout his tenure, but as he said, “This award, after touring the homes of many family and friends, will be the number one award on my wall of inspiration in our associate training room.”
Congratulations, Valdimar!
