Wal-Mart touts Memphis entrepreneur in effort to attract more vendors – Memphis Commercial Appeal

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. cites Memphis entrepreneur Jennifer McCullough in its latest call for products made in the United States.

McCullough was a caterer whose Chef Jenn line of prepared foods was stocked last year for the first time by the nation’s largest retailer.

Wal-Mart has scheduled its annual Made in the USA Open Call and U.S. Manufacturing Summit on July 7 and July 8 in Bentonville, Arkansas. Potential suppliers are invited to show products made in America.

Over the next decade, Wal-Mart plans to buy $250 billion worth of goods made in this country, an initiative launched in 2013 to help shore up the U.S. manufacturing base.

In a publicity statement Wednesday announcing the summit this July, Wal-Mart touted McCullough’s Chef Jenn “line of high-quality seafood products are in more than 800 Walmart stores across the country, and she’s expected to increase the number of her food offerings at Walmart stores.”

In the statement the retailer also said: “In 2013, Walmart announced the company would purchase an additional $250 billion in products supporting American jobs over 10 years. Walmart will accomplish this goal by pursuing a multi-pronged approach that includes: increased purchasing of current U.S. manufactured goods, sourcing ‘new to Walmart’ U.S. manufactured goods, and supporting the reshoring to U.S. of goods the retailer already buys.”