So I just found out about this. Evidently Walmart’s headquarters is in Arkansas. They made a rule that all C suite execs had to live within 30 miles of headquarters. When this happened, these rich elites had expectations due to their accustomed lifestyle, so all of a sudden, all this high end, elite businesses and services starting building up in Arkansas. Everything from lifestyle to healthcare. A new state of the art children’s hospital was built bc these execs were not going to go to some rural ER if their kids needed emergency services. I’m an ER nurse and although my jaw dropped it made sense. I worked at an elite hospital in chicago where we had secret “suites” for famous/high end people, ie athletes, politicians, etc. it’s a real thing. Sad but true. Anyway, all this to say there is definitely a very elite and rich area of Arkansas because when those execs moved in, they built a lifestyle around themselves.
eta:
Look up how Alice Walton fucked with the art world elite. She has created one of the most amazing art museums by going in and simply outbidding everyone. She founded The Crystal Bridges museum in Arkansas and it is truly spectacular. This post talks specifically about healthcare, but what has happened because of Walmart in that area is wild. It’s still got a lot of issues (racism, lacking in some health care stuff) but it’s definitely changed the landscape.
Bentonville, AR
Springdale, AK is near Bentonville and that is where Tyson Foods headquarters are as well and this has helped the area as well. It’s a very similar situation. All the execs live in basically the same housing development. Go to the same country club, private schools, etc.
I’m from Arkansas and this is all true. I kinda hope this show gets to air bc there are some crazy folks in AR
Ok, I live in NWA. My husband & I have volunteered for fundraising at children’s hospital for 27 years. The hospital is secondary to the main ACH campus in Little Rock. Sick children from all backgrounds receive care there. The NWA campus has regular doctors but also specialists who have scheduled clinic days so kids with cardiac, cancer, kidney etc issues do not have to travel 3 1/2 hours to the main campus. The land was donated by the George family of George’s chicken. Tyson chicken is also headquartered here as well as JB Hunt truck lines. So just for elite Walmart executives could not be farther from the facts. It’s so funny this would even hit your radar.
So interesting
Totally makes sense to me. Same thing happened in my city when a big company moved here. Another city was built to the north of the existing one, just not to a level of wealth like this person is describing.
My mil worked for Walmart for 8 years as a director, this is true. She just left cuz she couldn’t live in AR anymore but she took my kids to the museum, it’s a strange little town, like the Walmarts there are pristine!
So this ‘elite’ show is gonna be about Walmart execs???
Jenny Maars on Fixer to Fabulous has recently stated that the price of homes in parts of Arkansas have also really skyrocketed as well
It’s not really c suite executives that have to live there, it’s more the people that work with & sell to Walmart (which are typically high paying jobs). Lots of VP level people but not CEOs, etc.