Here at Arena, we strive to live out our core values every single day. Dare greatly. Make a difference. Do the right thing. Together. In order to do that we believe that we must have the right people on the bus. Finding people to fill an empty role can be an easy approach to quickly grow your business, but that isn’t the way to sustain growth. One specific area that you must get right when working with Walmart is Replenishment. Our team knew that we need to put the right resources in place for our clients and bring in a new team member to lead the charge!
We knew that this individual would need to be a trailblazer, bring impactful insight to our team and our clients and generally just be a fun person to work with. In early September, Shawn Morris joined our Arena team and we could not be more excited to introduce him to you!
Shawn has been blowing us away since day one, from fully embracing a virtual workspace with a new team to providing incredible insight for our current clients on replenishment needs. In a world of Zoom meetings and social distancing, we thought the best way for you to get to know Shawn would be through a Q&A. Check it out:
What drew you to Arena?
The people. Everyone here is hungry, humble, and smart. I want to be around those people in hopes that those qualities rub off more on me.
What motivates you to work harder?
“I just really desire to do a good job, probably to a fault. I am just wired to care about my work and to not cut corners.”
If you could travel anywhere in the world right now, where would you go and why?
IF we could actually go anywhere right now, I would go back to Germany. It’s a beautiful country with wonderful people living there. I have family and friends there right now that I would enjoy seeing again.
If you could give your 18-year-old self some advice, what would it be?
That I’m my own harshest critic and it leads to nothing but unnecessary worry and stress. Do your best and be proud of the results.
What are you most excited about for your role as Replenishment Manager at Arena?
I look forward to building out a piece of the business in a way that helps grow Arena, but also helps serve more companies and raise the quality higher and higher.
What is your favorite restaurant and go-to order in NWA?
Woodstone, specifically during happy hour. $3 breadsticks and $1 PBR’s on draft? You can’t beat that!
And lastly, which one of our four core values do you resonate with the most?
I would say “Do the right thing” because it resonates with my personality and because in a climate of “win at any cost” doing the right thing takes sacrifice and also confidence.
There you have it! Our incredible new teammate, Shawn Morris. We cannot wait to keep sharing about our growing team with all of you so check back soon for another update!
About Shawn:
Shawn oversees all things replenishment, utilizing his experience gained through working at multiple startups and Walmart. Shawn joins Arena from Walmart, where he worked as a replenishment manager in produce. Shawn has a passion for startups and is very entrepreneurial…. He was instrumental in the early stages at Givington’s, where he helped build out both supply chain & financial structure for the organization.
Shawn and his wife, Ragan, live in Fayetteville and argue it’s the best city in NWA. House projects, presidential biographies, and grabbing drinks with friends are usually on his weekend to-do list.