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Duke: Walmart is a good company

Duke: Walmart is a good company

I really care about people. Anyone who has worked with me knows that I invest in people and want them to grow. Setting high standards is an essential part of that.

I love this company, its culture, how we treat people, and what we stand for and believe in.

At Walmart, our associates have real opportunities to advance and build a career. Nearly three-quarters of store management in the U.S. started with us as hourly associates.

We’re creating jobs. Last year, your Walmart created 63,000 jobs around the world, including 33,000 jobs in the U.S. And when the company does well financially, we share our results with associates. In fact, for their 2008 performance, we distributed well over a billion dollars worldwide to hourly associates in incentive bonuses.

I want our company to build on the progress we’ve made in associate opportunity. We can make a big difference here. We can change the way people everywhere look at training and development in a company of our size. And we can be part of the solution to some big issues facing the countries we operate in.

Issues like having a well-trained workforce to meet the challenges of the 21st century; offering working people a path into a better life — whether they live in rural America or cities in emerging countries; helping women — who for too long have been left out of too many economies — climb the career ladder.

Many of our associates build careers at Walmart — taking on new roles and growing and developing with us, just like a lot of people here today. And for many associates, a Walmart job is their first job.

Anyone who knows me and my priorities, knows how much I value diversity and inclusion. No one should be left out. Every Walmart associate deserves the opportunity to achieve their fullest potential at this company and in life.

At Walmart, we’ve always taken the long perspective. We have a culture built on trust and integrity. We are passionate about helping our customers live better. And I think we’ve set an example that shows business can be trusted.

Mike Duke is president and CEO of Walmart. This piece was compiled from his address at a June 2009 Walmart shareholders’ meeting.