Even when your journey requires taking steps forward, backward and back to the start, it all works out as it should.
In 2003, Zack Loar was hired to unload trucks at Store 1760 in Folsom, California. Little did he know this job was just the first step on a long—and supported—path with Walmart.
From unloading trucks, Zack moved to garden sales associate, and then to ICS (inventory control specialist). The learning and promotions kept coming over the next four years: From ICS team lead to ICS supervisor to support manager.
Then Zack moved from the Folsom store to Rancho Cordova, where he became an assistant manager. After four years there, Zack was promoted to co-manager of the store in Vacaville in October 2012.
Taking a Step Back
“Here’s where the story turns sad,” Zack admits. His mother was diagnosed with a serious health condition. As her sole caretaker, he decided to take a step back from his management duties.
Zack explains, “I took on an assistant role in West Sacramento in October 2013 so I could be closer to my mom.” In his new role, Zack kept working, secure in the knowledge that he had Walmart’s support.
“It’s very comforting knowing that the company has your back,” Zack says. “I wasn’t looked down on for having to take a step back; it was ‘We support you the whole way.’”
Zack stayed at the West Sacramento store for almost two years, and then moved on to other stores, being promoted and heading to where he could help, from co-manager to developmental store manager—until the most recent promotion came.
Back to the Beginning
Zack is now store manager at Store 1760 in Folsom, right where he started as a truck unloader 18 years ago. It’s a transformation he describes as amazing.
What does he like best about his move into management? “I can tell new associates ‘You may start right here as cashier or stocker, but if you want to progress, this is what you could become,’” Zack says. “It’s not out of anybody’s reach.”
