Local Family Say They Are 'Walmart Family'

The following is a news release from Walmart:

For Mario and Michell Guajardo, Walmart is family.

The Corona couple, both longtime Walmart employees, had the honor of introducing Walmart's president and CEO during the big box retailer's annual shareholders meeting on Friday in Bentonville, Ark.

"We're grateful to work for a company that truly believes in our growth but also remembers us as a family," said Mario, a 20-year employee. He had been the store manager in Colton but will now prepare to open up the Ontario location in late September. Michell is the manager of the Santa Ana location and has been with the company for 12 years.

The event brought together 13,000 Walmart employees for the annual meeting. It wrapped up on Monday with the 2013 annual shareholders' meeting

Following the Guajardos' introduction, Walmart President and CEO Mike Duke commended the couple for their years of service.

The Guajardos shared their intergenerational family experience with the crowd toward the end of the nearly three-hour event, just before introducing the company's chief executive officer.

Brittney, their daughter, who also works for the company, had submitted her family's story on Walmart's Associate intranet site in response to a "Share your Walmart story" invitation.

Walmart officials who were organizing the shareholders meeting came across the story and invited the Guarjardos. Brittney, who is on maternity leave, stayed home while her parents traveled to Arkansas.

"It was very exciting and it was an honor but it was also nerve-wracking. Not a lot of people get to do that -- be on the stage. It was a pretty big honor that they want us to tell our story," said Mario who only three weeks ago learned of the invitation. 

In a video shared at the meeting, Mario shares that both he and his wife came from modest households growing up.

"It's amazing what this company has done for us, it's exciting and it’s been a privilege," he said.

Mario said he couldn't imagine working for another company.

The family's story with the retailer began 20 years ago when Mario took a job as an overnight stocker at the Yucca Valley store. At that time Michell was pregnant with Brittney.

The company, Mario says, invested in him by providing him with leadership and management training. Through the years, he was able to work his way up and make a career out of it, he said.

Michell said she saw the opportunity it created for her husband and applied for a position 12 years ago at the Hemet location. She was brought on as an assistant store manager.

"It's made a difference in our lives," she said. "It's an opportunity of a lifetime. If it wasn't for that Yucca Valley store we would never have this experience."

Just two years ago, Brittney followed in her parents footsteps when she began working as a cashier. Brittney, 19, is now working as a pharmacy assistant. The youngest Guajardo said if it wasn't for the company, which has afforded her the time to go to school, she wouldn't be able to pursue a degree in nursing.