Walmart Surprises Local Entrepreneuers with Invitation to 5th Annual Open Call Event
(CBS Detroit/BUSINESS WIRE) Walmart recently surprised local business owners with an invitation to Open Call, an annual event in which hundreds of entrepreneurs get the chance to pitch their products to Walmart buyers for a chance to land on Walmart store shelves and walmart.com.
The unsuspecting business owners were asked to come to their local Walmart store prepared to pitch their product to a store manager, while the store manager was waiting for the opportunity to share that their spot at the coveted event had already been secured.
Open Call is scheduled for June 13 at Walmart's headquarters in Bentonville, Arkansas.
Four local entrepreneurs from the Metro Detroit area made the cut:
- Detroit: Crystal Eikcaj Skin and Hair Care, LLC specializes in organic products that provide relief from a variety of ailments.
- Detroit: Yolanda Edwards - Emma Jane Belani Group
- Plymouth: HL Prodcuts, LLC will be showcasing a warmer set
- Southfield: TRUEfit4life Distribution Co., LLC will be showcasing their odor fighting product
Customers can join the celebration and wish their local entrepreneurs luck on their journey to Open Call by joining conversations on social channels using #MadeinUSA and #WalmartOpenCall.
In all, 17 businesses were surprised – including women-, diverse-, and veteran-owned businesses. Hundreds more received an e-mail notification of acceptance to Open Call shortly after the surprise announcements. Invitees will travel to Walmart's headquarters next month from 48 states and Puerto Rico for one-on-one meetings with Walmart buyers. Some deals will happen on the spot, while others may take more time with follow-ups between buyers and potential suppliers after the event has ended.
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