More than 120 people gathered in the women’s apparel department at the Clinton Walmart on Wednesday morning, July 26, to mark the retirement of store manager Jane Marshall.
The location was appropriate, as Jane had worked in the apparel department at the old Walmart store in Clinton, where she started as a cashier in 1975.
In two years, Jane worked her way to assistant manager, and in 1979, was promoted to manager of the store in Warsaw, becoming the first female store manager of a Walmart in the country.
“It was remarkable at the time, and probably challenging as well,” said John Kritos, a Walmart “Market People Partner,”e.g. Human Relations staff.
Kritos, who works in Kansas City, welcomed everyone to the party and presented Jane with an award for her time with the company, citing her trail-blazing leadership and vision.
“We’re all here to celebrate a Walmart legend,” he said. “Everybody in Clinton and the surrounding area knows who she is.”
Jane is famous for her friendly smile, her reputation for treating everybody with respect no matter what the situation, and for never losing her temper.
“She’s known for being there for the customers and the associates,” Brian Woirhaye said.
Jane’s career was featured as the lead story on the Walmart World website, and Walmart radio ran “shout-outs” to Jane all over the country on July 26, Kritos said.
Hanna Diamond, a regional manager, presented Jane with flowers, and Derrell Dulaban, one of the store management team, presented her with an Adirondack chair and table set on behalf of the Clinton store. Kritos also presented Jane with a bag of decaf coffee and a large bag of honey-barbecue UTZ potato chips, her favorite.
Jane said that when she appointed a Walmart store manager, she didn’t realize she was the first female in that role.
“What stands out for me is how I was treated,” she said, emphasizing the “I.” “The people I worked with were all men, but I was always treated with respect.”
Connie Freeman, a Walmart HR manager in Kansas City, was one of several people who shared “Jane” stories at the party. Connie’s grandmother worked with Jane when she was promoted to assistant store manager in 1977, and moved to the women’s apparel department.
”We decided to make some changes,” Jane said, referring to how they displayed clothing. “We tripled sales.”
At the retirement party, Jane introduced members of her management team, including Doug Burke and Darrell Dulaban, who she called the cornerstones of the store.
“It’s good to be able to leave with a solid foundation,” Jane said. “Nothing will change when I walk out the door.”
Doug assured Jane that they will keep the shelves filled and the garbage picked up in the parking lot.
Jane said that there’s nothing her hard-working team can’t do, including shepherding the store through a planned remodel. The project, scheduled for next year, will take 14 to 16 weeks, she said. Doug said he had worked at the current Walmart store since it opened in the late 1990s.
Jane also introduced her family: spouse Bill Marshall, brother in-law John French, who worked at the Warsaw store with Jane, sister Linda Ferro French, known as “Woo,” who used to own the W W Hallmark Store in Clinton, their brother Mike Ferro and spouse Marilyn, and Jane’s niece, Shelby.
“She is continuing the family legacy by coming to work in two weeks in the pharmacy,” Jane said.
Jane also introduced John Marshall, her and Bill’s younger son. In retirement, Jane is planning to help with John’s business, and also work in her church. The Marshalls’ older son, Will, lives on Whidbey Island in Washington state.
Delinda Davis, who works in HR management, told a story about Jane going the extra mile to help a female customer who needed something professional to wear to a job interview. Delinda added that if Jane hadn’t broken the glass ceiling, she wouldn’t be working in her job.
Robin Torretta, a Walmart HR manager in Springfield, had “Jane for President” T-shirts which she and others were wearing at the party. Robin explained that Jane always said what she thought and what needed to be said. Afterwards, one of the staff would send out texts of her statements to other store managers, which he headed “Jane for President.”
Highlights of Jane’s nearly 5 decades with Walmart include meeting founder Sam Walton and his son Rob Walton, she said, and having dinner with the family. People have told Jane that they’re glad to hear she’s retiring and will be able to enjoy life, but she said her years with Walmart were amazing.
“You don’t do something for 48 years and not enjoy it,” she said.
Jane’s last day is Aug. 11, but she has two weeks of time off due, so was finishing up last week. No replacement has been named, Kritos said, but applications have been accepted from inside and outside the company, he said, with 75 percent of promotions coming from within.
Sam Walton credited Walmart’s rapid growth to his sales associates, with whom he set up profit-sharing plans. He opened the first Walmart store in Rogers, Ark., in 1962, when he was 44 years old. He based his business on lower prices, good service and convenience, locating stores in small towns. Walmart hit both the baby-boomer decades of family consumerism and the reverse migration from cities to small towns in the 1990s, where people wanted the same choices in merchandise and sale prices found in city stores.
Born in Oklahoma in 1918, Samuel Moore Walton grew up in Missouri, and was the youngest Eagle Boy Scout in the state’s history when he was in 8th grade in Shelbina. He graduated from high school in Columbia and from the University of Missouri with a degree in economics in 1940, and served in the U.S. Army Intelligence Corps.
By 1990, Walmart was the largest retailer in the United States. Considered the greatest innovator in the history of retail business, Walton died in 1992, age 74, shortly after receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Walmart grew to become the world’s largest corporation based on revenue, and the world’s biggest private employee. The Clinton store is No. 20.
