Walmart: Made Local Trailer Tour Comes to Cleveland

(CLEVELAND, OH) Today, the Walmart: Made Local trailer tour arrived in Cleveland to celebrate Walmart's $350 billion commitment to U.S. manufacturing and to discover new entrepreneurs to participate in its 10th annual Open Call event in October.

Open Call provides opportunities for thousands of small and medium businesses to pitch Walmart for deals to sell their products made, grown, or assembled in the U.S. in stores or online. Walmart is currently accepting applications for the 2023 event through August 18.

Today’s Made Local trailer stop at the Walmart Supercenter on Brookpark Road in Brooklyn kicked off with an opening ceremony featuring State Senator Matt Dolan, U.S. Congressman David Joyce, Steve Fritsch, Vice President, Industry Advancement and Engagement, Team NEO, and local Walmart supplier L’uva Bella Winery.

"We are excited to meet entrepreneurs in Cleveland who are eager for the opportunity to grow their businesses with Walmart through Open Call," said Mark Espinoza, Sr. Director of Public Affairs for Walmart. "Thanks to a decade of Open Call opportunities, thousands of small and medium businesses have been able to scale their U.S. manufacturing operations, creating new jobs in their communities."

L'uva Bella Winery, which was highlight during today's event, earned deals to sell their products with Walmart at Open Call. By bringing local suppliers’ products to its shoppers, Walmart helps businesses grow. For example, Walmart’s Lead with Local snacks initiative, launched earlier this year, sells locally made snacks prominently on Walmart shelves to connect customers with products from hometown businesses. Over 130 Walmart stores are participating so far, with more to come.

“My experience working with Walmart since pitching at Open Call in 2017 has been great. Walmart company-wide has been helpful when I began to learn the ins and outs of how to build my business and work appropriately with stores,” said Marisa Sergi, owner and CEO of L’uva Bella Winery. “The partnership has been extremely impactful on my business and local community. We have been able to grow from 20 stores to now selling in over 800+ and made several new hires. We have been able to expand our brands across the nation and reach countless American homes with our quality wines.”

"Walmart is proud to support more American jobs like L’uva Bella Winery," Espinoza added. "We know our customers care about products made, grown or assembled in the U.S., and areas like northeastern Ohio benefit when we invest in these products."

From 3 p.m. until 7 p.m. today and tomorrow, and from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. Saturday, visitors can stop by the trailer and learn more about Walmart's $350 billion commitment to U.S. manufacturing, and entrepreneurs can record a video application for Walmart's 10th annual Open Call event which will be held October 24-25. The Walmart: Made Local trailer tour kicked off on July 10 in Frederick, Md., with additional stops planned in Philadelphia, Indianapolis, and Chicago.

Already, more than two-thirds of Walmart's annual product spend is on goods made, grown or assembled in the U.S. Through Open Call, this investment will create opportunities for over 9,000 small and medium businesses to become Walmart suppliers.

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About Walmart

Walmart Inc. (NYSE: WMT) is a people-led, tech-powered omnichannel retailer helping people save money and live better - anytime and anywhere - in stores, online, and through their mobile devices. Each week, approximately 240 million customers and members visit more than 10,500 stores and numerous eCommerce websites in 20 countries. With fiscal year 2023 revenue of $611 billion, Walmart employs approximately 2.1 million associates worldwide. Walmart continues to be a leader in sustainability, corporate philanthropy, and employment opportunity. Additional information about Walmart can be found by visiting corporate.walmart.com, on Facebook at facebook.com/walmart, on Twitter at twitter.com/walmart, and on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/walmart/.