story by Kim Souza
ksouza@thecitywire.com
Editor’s Note: The City Wire interviewed two local families, Scott and Sherry Swenson along with Dave and Doug Musteen, about being related and employees of Wal-Mart Stores Inc. Link here for the previous story about the Swensons.
Wal-Mart is a third generation employer for the Doug and Dave Musteen of Rogers, identical twin brother who just celebrated 30 years with the retail company. The brothers began their careers just after high school graduation in May 1983.
Doug has one week longer with the company than his twin, but both of them started in warehouse distribution, reporting to Warehouse Nos. 4 and 2 for their first full-time jobs.
The brothers said they have never had the opportunity to pull the identity switch as a prank in the workplace because in their 30 years they have seldom worked in the same building. They did both work in Wal-Mart’s Information Systems Division at the same time for a short while before Doug transferred to the Jewelry Warehouse.
“Our dad ran the Pea Ridge Grocery when we were growing up and we worked for him back then. But as soon as we turned 18 we both got jobs with Wal-Mart and today our dad is a greeter in Store No. 1 in Rogers,” Doug Musteen said.
The Musteen brothers are also the nephew of Ron Loveless, who was the first president of Sam’s Club, the warehouse sales division of Bentonville-based Wal-Mart Stores.
“Nearly everybody in our family has worked at Wal-Mart at some point,” said Dave Musteen.
Dave’s wife Lisa also works at Wal-Mart and between both of their families there is a 200 year record of service at the retail company. The twins said they have found it difficult to separate the corporate culture from their home lives, but they aren’t calling Saturday morning meetings.
“Mr. Sam’s teachings: strive for excellence and respect for the individuals are not just good for business, they are also important in your personal life,” Dave Musteen said.
The brothers said they were introduced to Wal-Mart at an early age as their grandfather and mom worked for the company.
“Our grandpa would take us fishing every Saturday and both Dave and I were part of the Wal-Mart bass club back then, which was a group of about 15 or 20 associates. We would go fish together on different lakes and we got to socialize with buyers and senior leaders on these outings.” Doug Musteen said.
The organization folded after a few years as the company continued to grow, he said.
Doug Musteen admits that he bleeds blue, because of his dedication to Wal-Mart .
“I have missed just 5 days of work in 30 years,” he said. “I love my job, and the fact that Wal-Mart has meant so much to my family and this entire town.”
The Musteen brothers each expect to retire from Wal-Mart when the time comes.
“The people at Wal-Mart are like our second family, we enjoy working and volunteering with our teams knowing that we can make a difference for our communities” Dave Musteen said.
That employee dedication is a common thread that runs through much of the company’s expansive workforce, according a recent issue of Walmart World, the retailer’s internal magazine.
news.walmart.com/walmart-world-40-year-milestones-august-2013?utm_source=wm&utm_medium=email&utm_term=body5&utm_content=20130828&utm_campaign=27542936
In August, the retailer had seven employees celebrating 40 years with the company. Another 43 crossed the 35 year mark, according to Wal-Mart spokeman, David Tovar.
“I think that's just amazing. In fact, nearly one in four of our hourly U.S. associates have been with the company for 10 years or more,” he said.
Tovar said Wal-Mart promotes 160,000 of it employees each year.