Become Retail Ready. Scale in Arkansas.
Scale faster, win retail placement, and build lasting businesses in the epicenter of the global retail ecosystem.
Build where retail decisions are made
Northwest Arkansas is one of the most powerful retail ecosystems in the world – but until now, founders haven’t had a structured way to truly access it. Ozark Retail Accelerator is here to go beyond pitch coaching, and equip founders with practical tools for retail operational readiness.
Over 12 weeks, founders gain hands-on access to retail operators, former buyers, and category leaders who have actually built, scaled, and launched suppliers inside some of the largest omnichannel retailers in the world.
IDEAL CANDIDATES
Is this accelerator right for you?
The Ozark Retail Accelerator is built for founders who are past the idea stage and ready to scale.
Arkansas-based or Arkansas-committed consumer product businesses
Real product in market with early sales.
Interested in scaling through large, omnichannel retail
Ready to invest 12 weeks in learning operations, merchandising, supply chain, and digital readiness
Apply today!
Make your products ready for the world’s largest retailers
Duration: 12 weeks, March 31 – June 17
Applications due: February 15
Product samples due: February 18
Final applicants selected: March 4
Program Calendar
Learn from people who have actually built and scaled suppliers — not just advisors.
Shawn Baldwin
Shawn Baldwin is a seasoned retail leader with more than 30 years of experience across club, mass, and grocery retail, including extensive leadership tenure at Sam’s Club and Walmart. He was awarded the Sam M. Walton Entrepreneur of the Year honor for his impact on small business support, fresh and perishables transformation, and financial performance.
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During his career, Shawn devised and implemented the Sam’s Club Culinary Innovation Center, elevating product specifications and quality across both branded and private label assortments. He also led the strategic repositioning of in-store demonstrations, working closely with CPG suppliers and implementing technology improvements that tripled program utilization and generated more than $1 billion in sales.
Shawn has led corporate sustainability initiatives across Walmart and Sam’s Club, focusing on sustainable agriculture, animal welfare, fisheries, livestock, and water usage. He has also directed Joint Business Planning efforts with major suppliers including Tyson, General Mills, Kraft, and Pepsi/Frito-Lay, driving category creation, innovation, and short- and mid-term growth opportunities. His background provides a comprehensive, end-to-end view of product development, supplier readiness, and retail execution.
Matt Herlevic
Matt Herlevic brings deep operational, category, and innovation leadership experience from senior roles at Sam’s Club and Walmart. He led the launch of the Taste and Tips program at Sam’s Club, transforming supplier perception and driving conversion growth from $80 million to $400 million.
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He previously led Walmart’s $2 billion optical business as head operator and has been instrumental in bringing new retail innovations to Sam’s Club, including fresh squeezed orange juice programs and the Freeosk sampling platform.
Beyond large-scale retail leadership, Matt is a serial entrepreneur and operator. He is the co-founder of Gratsy, an at-home sampling agency; co-founder of Sunshine Laundry, a short-term rental-focused business; a real estate developer in Fayetteville; and co-founder of Ventus Pet Treats. His experience bridges enterprise retail operations and founder-led business growth.
Mike Rayl
Mike Rayl is a retail operations and customer experience leader with extensive experience designing and scaling large-format retail programs. He has collaborated with cross-functional stakeholders to ideate, design, and implement digital marketing platforms that augmented in-store sampling programs within brick-and-mortar retail environments.
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His work fundamentally transformed interactions with third-party labor providers, delivering improved customer experience and supplier value across programs totaling more than one million events and reaching over 300 million customers annually.
Mike has also supported Walmart’s domestic operations group in defining and implementing hourly organizational structures, including job descriptions, performance evaluations, competency models, interview frameworks, and selection systems. His expertise helps founders understand the operational rigor required to succeed inside large retail environments.
Rodrigo Salas
Rodrigo Salas is an entrepreneur and innovation strategist with deep experience in product development, strategic branding, and consumer packaged goods. He has led product innovation initiatives for companies such as Nestle and Cargill, developing brands and products grounded in consumer insight and market opportunity.
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As co-founder of Kualli Foods, Rodrigo built and scaled a CPG brand from concept to retail, validating products through MVP testing and expanding distribution nationwide. He has also held brand and strategy leadership roles at Nestlé and Dieste (part of Omnicom Group), shaping positioning and communications for global brands. Rodrigo has mentored 100+ founders, particularly in CPG, guiding them from ideation to market launch and growth.
He holds a BA in Marketing from Tec de Monterrey, and an MBA from the University of Texas.
Scott Benedict
Scott Benedict is a seasoned retail executive, omnichannel strategist, and educator with more than 25 years of leadership experience spanning merchandising, eCommerce, international retail, and digital transformation.
A buyer at heart, Scott built his career at iconic retailers…
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…including Walmart, Sam’s Club, Best Buy, and Groupon, where he led category growth, launched early omnichannel and eCommerce initiatives, and drove hundreds of millions of dollars in incremental sales across consumer electronics, entertainment, and digital-first categories. His experience includes senior merchandising leadership roles at Sam’s Club—both in the U.S. and internationally—helping launch and scale global operations across Canada, Mexico, Brazil, and China, as well as founding roles in Walmart’s original online retail team and executive leadership at BestBuy.com.
Today, as Founder and CEO of Benedict Enterprises and a Principal Consultant with RETHINK Advisory, Scott advises retailers, brands, and solution providers on modern merchandising, unified commerce, and organizational transformation. A recognized RETHINK Retail Top Retail Expert, host of The Digital Front Door podcast, and former academic leader at Texas A&M’s Center for Retailing Studies, Scott brings a unique ability to translate real-world retail execution into practical insights that help companies—and founders—navigate growth, innovation, and scale in today’s rapidly evolving retail landscape.
Phil Shellhammer
Phil Shellhammer is the Executive Director of the Office of Entrepreneurship and Innovation (OEI) at the University of Arkansas. In this role, he leads efforts to support students, faculty, and the broader Arkansas community in solving problems and creating meaningful change through entrepreneurial education and experiential learning.
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In his time working at OEI, Phil has mentored hundreds of entrepreneurs across diverse industries including outdoor recreation, healthcare, retail, and emerging technologies. His unique blend of corporate executive experience and entrepreneurial ventures allows him to passionately guide entrepreneurs from ideation to launch, leveraging his expertise in strategy, merchandising, pricing, and new business development.
Before joining OEI, Phil had a distinguished career in the retail and consumer products industries with notable leadership roles at Sam’s Club, Best Buy, and Procter & Gamble. As a recognized executive leader, he built high-performing teams that significantly impacted the bottom line of these companies.
Phil holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Cincinnati and an MBA from Harvard Business School. Outside of his professional endeavors, he is dedicated to his family and enjoys camping, hiking, cycling, and outdoor photography. Phil is also actively involved in community initiatives, serving on the boards of Arkansas Athletes Outreach (AAO) and Students Acquiring Knowledge through Enterprise (SAKE), where he leverages his expertise to support local youth and business leadership development.
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Frequently Asked Questions
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All applications are due February 15, 2025. Product samples are due at our office by February 18.
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Selected applicants will be invited to interviews with program leadership. Final cohort decisions will follow shortly after.
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Yes, all applicants will be required to send product samples for review.
If you are sending perishable items, they need to be sent to the address on a Monday or Tuesday in order to be received at the office before the weekend. There will not be anyone receiving samples on the weekend. These items also need to be on dry ice so all samples properly preserved.
1402 SW A St, Bentonville, AR 72712 -
The accelerator is a hybrid experience, with key in-person sessions in Northwest Arkansas and virtual programming throughout.
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Fill out the contact form provided and our team will promptly respond to your inquiry
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Your current sales can come from Farmer's Markets in local towns, placement in small grocery stores, and anywhere in between.
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This program is for you if you are based in Arkansas or if you are committed to bringing a physical presence to the state of Arkansas (sales office, manufacturing facility, company owned distribution center, etc)
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The program curriculum is funded by the state of Arkansas and is free to you. Your investment will be travel to NWA and the cost of sending your samples to our office. The biggest investment will be your time committed to learning and bringing your item to life.
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If you are past the application deadline but would still like to send in your samples to be reviewed, those samples would be welcomed by our retail advisors. Once your samples have been sent to our office, please send us an email notifying us the sample is on it's way!
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