Bill Marquard will return to Guatemala for a series of workshops on values-based leadership. The sessions, from November 26 through November 29, 2007, will be offered to employees and clients of G&T Continental, Guatemala’s second-largest bank, and the Minister of Education and her staff.¬† This is Bill’s second trip to Guatemala this year to support Guatemala Prospera’s efforts to change the nation - and the world - through principles and values.

Some observers wonder whether Wal-Mart might have been able to push its stores into other Chicago neighborhoods if it had put more executive muscle into its Jobs and Opportunity Zones program.

William Marquard, president of Marble Leadership Partners, a Chicago consulting firm, and author of “Wal-Smart: What It Really Takes to Profit in a Wal-Mart World,” doesn’t think so.

“Even if this program was successful, it wouldn’t make the Wal-Mart debate go away,” Marquard said. “The ultimate criticism is driven by the unions, and even if Wal-Mart did a stellar job providing help to small businesses, the unions would still be arguing about wage rates.”

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Bill Marquard will address the Chicago Executive Forum on making Choose or Lose decisions in business and in life. Join Bill and the other speakers on Friday, October 26, 2007 from 7:30 am to 2:00pm at Maggiano’s in Oak Brook, 240 Oakbrook Center, Oak Brook, IL 60523.

Click here for more information on the event.

Bill Marquard will speak to 1,200 people over three days in Guatemala. His speech, entitled “Choose or Lose: Making Smart Choices in a Wal-Mart World” is based on the key lessons on his book, Wal-Smart: What it Really Takes to Profit in a Wal-Mart World. The speeches are sponsored by Guatemala Prospera, an organization devoted to bringing values-based and principles-based leadership to Guatemala.

Click here to learn more about Guatemala Prospera.

Bill Marquard, author of Wal-Smart: What it Really Takes to Profit in a Wal-Mart World, will be the keynote speaker at Retailing Today’s 30th Annual SPARC, Supplier Performance Awards by Retail Category luncheon in Chicago on September 20, 2007.

WalSmart author Bill Marquard is the featured speaker for GMA’s Broadcast Leadership Bootcamp:

CHOOSE OR LOSE: Leadership in the New Economy is the theme for the Broadcast Leadership Boot Camp. We live in an economy where giants dominate many industries. Bill Marquard (Marble Leadership Partners) reveals the secrets to survive and thrive in any industry with a dominant player - or even become the dominant player yourself! Drawing on his experience advising major organizations such as Wal-Mart, McDonald’s, Walt Disney World, Meijer, and the Department of Homeland Security, Bill’s interactive discussion provides practical leadership insights on what it takes to profit in today’s economy.

Click HERE for more details.

In a recent review of Wal-Smart: What it Really Takes to Profit in a Wal-Mart World, in the Boston Globe, noted author Charles Fishman recommended Wal-Smart:
“There’s no excuse for not understanding what’s going to happen to you and your business as you step into the Wal-Mart arena,” said Charles Fishman, author of “The Wal-Mart Effect,” a study of how Wal-Mart’s drive for low prices has transformed the world economy.“That’s why you read a book like this,” Fishman said of Wal-Smart.

Click here to read the entire review.

How does the rest of the retail world win against Wal-Mart? What can Wal-Mart teach other companies—and individuals—about analysis and competition? For thinkers of every stripe, a new book by business author Bill Marquard assembles the analysis and principles of how to go up against Goliaths.

Click here to read the entire interview at TheHighCalling.org.

Marquard maintains that Scott “inherited” baggage including a market multiple that “got well ahead” of the stock and the company’s growth. However, the consultant says Scott has presided over a resurgence of the firm’s former “productivity loop” and “strong process organization” — which has helped reverse the six-year downward trend in Wal-Mart’s overall-sales growth rate, lifting it to 11.7% from 9.5%. But he cautions investors and C-level executives alike: Scott must maintain focused on “returning to those roots” to sustain today’s good news.

Click Here to read the full CNBC article and watch interview.

WalSmart author Bill Marquard discusses how we ended up in a Wal-Mart world. More importantly, he focuses on how we need to respond as leaders in any industry. Listen to Bill’s three-part interview with host Paul McLoughlin.

Click [HERE] to listen in…